Mockingbird
by Jess-chan of the Nya Nya Neko
Summary: ...The silver-haired man stared at her, "Little girl, you are in no position to make demands. I will release them when you have done enough for me...
1. First Sight

**Mockingbird**

Anzu has mysterious powers She moves to a new school, wanting to forget her past and everything that happened in it, including her powers. So what happens when she meets a mysterious white-haired boy who also has powers of his own?

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh's characters or the card game... I also don't own any of the song's at the beginning of the chapters.

"Second Sight" -by Lush

_"...Keep your eyes on me  
Don't let go of my hand  
Running together  
We go together so well  
I can tell..." _

**Chapter one: First Sight**

"Anzu, we're going to move to another town."

"…"

"Anzu, did you hear me? The town is called Domino; I think you'll like it there."

There was still no response. The brunet only stared off into space. She wasn't deaf, of course she heard her mother speaking. No, she wasn't deaf; she was gifted.

Or cursed. You may choose to your liking.

"It's ok, honey, she heard you." Her father told her mother. Mrs. Mazaki only looked at her daughter with worry written all over her face and dressed in her aura.

"Do you think she's ok? She's not responding. We're moving next week." The mother whispered harshly, Anzu still heard her.

"She's fine, dear, why don't you go start packing?" her father suggested. With one final look to her daughter, Mrs. Mazaki walked up the stairs in defeat. Anzu's father looked back to the young girl.

"We're moving next week; you might want to start packing." And then he left.

It was more than ten minutes before the teenager moved. She stood up slowly and turned her head to look beside her.

_"I'll follow you, Mistress…" _she heard someone say before an image appeared beside her. There, another girl appeared. She had long blond hair and bright green eyes. Her cheeks were pink and she wore a soft smile on her face. She was adorned in a large hat, and a unique dressing style.

"No, stay here with Mahaado. He'll miss you too much, and you him." Anzu spoke softly. Her voice was clear, pure; like an angel's.

Then, another appeared beside her. This was a man with dark purple hair and sharp, light blue eyes. He wore all purple and no emotion was on his face.

_"Then we'll both come with you." _He spoke to her. She shook her head.

"No, you cannot come with me. I'm sorry, Mana, Mahaado." Anzu spoke, her azure eyes held wisdom far beyond her years.

_"I will miss you, Anzu. You will always be my Mistress." _Mana spoke while placing her arms around the brunet in a hug. Anzu stared in shock.

_"As will I, Anzu, you will always be my Mistress."_ Mahaado said as he hugged her as well. Anzu slowly placed her arms around her two friends.

"I will miss you both so much. Good-bye, my dear friends…" Anzu spoke while the two began to disappear.

_"Good-bye, Mistress."_

(Scene change)

Anzu sat in the car, just watching the scenery fly past her window. She had said her final good-byes to Mana and Mahaado. They were to stay where they belonged. Her mother had told her that she would go to a co-ed school in the town of Domino. At least someone was happy about this move…

"We're almost here, Anzu! Get ready to see your new home!" her mother said excitedly. Anzu didn't respond, as usual. She only continued to stare out the window with a blank look on her face.

In less than five minutes, the car stopped. Anzu had a perfect view of the new house. It was white with dark blue shutters. The door was also white with a golden handle. The house had a fence around the perimeter.

Anzu sighed and rose from the car. She looked up at the house once more and then looked around. She saw Spirits at the edge of the fence. There were three. That was a lot to handle…

Anzu met questioning gazes as she stared at the Spirits. Each one of them realized that this mysterious girl could see them. Slowly, one came up to her, as if unsure. Her parents walked into the house with luggage.

_"C-can you see me?"_ the woman-spirit asked carefully. Anzu only nodded in response.

_"And them too?"_ she pointed to the others. Anzu nodded again. She looked behind the purple-haired woman at the other two spirits. There was another person-spirit and another animal-spirit. She had never met an animal-spirit before.

"What's your name?" Anzu asked the woman. She was slightly startled, but smiled gently.

_"My full name is Magician of Faith, but you may call me Faith." _She responded. _"We welcome you to your new home."_

"I'm Anzu Mazaki, I'm sorry that we must burden your house with ourselves." Anzu apologized gently. She knew how to act around Spirits; she had grown up seeing them.

_"It is alright. We will protect you, Mistress."_ She told Anzu reassuringly. Anzu nodded as Faith walked back to the other two Spirits.

Anzu grabbed a few boxes and walked into the house. She looked around after she placed the boxes down onto the ground. The inside was very elaborate. There were winding stairs up onto the next floor, the house seemed much bigger on the inside. Slowly, Anzu walked up the stairs and walked around the empty house.

She stopped in the hall-way and looked around at all the doors. Her gaze stopped and rested on one. It was at the far right end of the hall-way. Slowly, Anzu walked to it. She opened the door and peered around the room. It wasn't huge, but it wasn't small. Anzu found it to her liking and walked inside.

She went around the room, searching for something. She soon found it. Whatever 'it' was.

Anzu held up a necklace. It wasn't beautiful, but it had a certain charm to it. It had something that could draw you in to look at it. The necklace was a long dark blue hexagon that was supported by a silver chain. She was entranced by this necklace and looked closer. In the very center of the hexagon was a small black shard. She shrugged and put it on, hiding it under her shirt.

Slowly she walked out of the room again, making a mental note to look around again when she had the chance. Right now she had to help unpack her things.

Inone hour they were all done unpacking the huge truck that traveled behind them. The truck pulled away from the house and Anzu's mother was beaming in happiness.

"Well, let's get ready!" she exclaimed excitedly. Anzu sighed and walked up to her new room. It had two windows in it and a nice blue carpet, she just noticed them. One window was facing the neighbors house, the other was to the sunrise, well, where it would be, anyway. She decided to put her bed in the corner between the two windows, her dresser would be to the right of the sunrise, her other dresser would be on the wall next to that, and a shelf would be on that wall as well. On the last wall would be her desk and hamper. She nodded and got to work on her new room.

In less than two hours, she was almost done. She had found something else, there seemed to be a closet door in the wall to the right of the sunrise window. She decided to investigate that later since she was almost done. So Anzu took a small break. She went downstairs to where the refrigerator was already installed (thanks to the movers) and got a drink of milk. Then, she heard a knock at the door. She set the glass down on the counter and went to the front door.

She opened it and looked out. There was a woman standing before her with a huge smile on her face, in her hands she held out brownies. Behind her was another person, he looked to be Anzu's age.

"Hello, dear! I'm Bakura Takana, you're new neighbor! Is your mother here?" the woman said happily. Anzu nodded just as her mother walked down the stairs.

"Hello, you must be neighbors, come in, come in!" she said happily. Anzu stepped aside and watched as they all went in the house.

The woman had a yellow outer aura, so she was happy; her inner aura was a nice golden color. Her mother was happy as well, so she was surrounded by a yellow glow that only Anzu could see. Anzu waited calmly as the boy walked in.

He walked in slowly, after everyone else; he had long white hair as well. Anzu's eyes widened slightly in surprise. 'He doesn't have an inside aura!' she exclaimed mentally. Something was wrong, she was sure of it. But, his outside aura was a multitude of colors. But, none were yellow. Purple, blue, green, and a tinge of red were all she could see.

His head slowly went up, from looking at the floor, to looking straight ahead. Slowly, he turned to look at Anzu. Cerulean met dark chocolate. Somehow, Anzu was drawn to him. There was something there… something _powerful_ about this boy. What could it be?

"Anzu, don't just stand there, get something for them to drink."

Anzu snapped out of her reverie and nearly dashed into the kitchen to get out of that room. It had suddenly become very stuffy in the living room. She dug through a few boxes to find the cups, but eventually found them. She poured milk for everyone, but herself, and waited patiently. The young boy walked into the room again. Anzu didn't move; he didn't look at her. She prayed silently to God that she would make it through this day.

Mrs. Bakura introduced her son as Bakura Ryou. Anzu found out that they would be going to school together. Anzu nearly died at this, but nothing betrayed her emotions. She stayed calm the entire time the neighbors were over. The boy didn't talk at all, only stared off into space and drank the milk. Anzu watched his aura carefully.

The thing that caught her attention most was that the outer aura was thin, just like hers. It was like he didn't express a lot of emotions like most people did. But, his inner aura extended from his body at least five inches, except it was clear. It wasn't white; it was clear, almost non-existent. Anzu would've wondered if he had one if she didn't occasionally see a glimmer of silver or white. His inner aura took up more room than the outer, usually they would be equal in distance, but his weren't. His was just like…

She probably would've kept staring and gone on with that thought, if Ryou hadn't looked up at her.

Again, their eyes met. Anzu was lost in a chocolate pool that she didn't want to leave. She felt her heart skip a beat as they met. She could still see his emotions on his outer aura. It suddenly turned completely light purple, showing that he was confused. Anzu forgot how to breathe; all she could think about was Ryou. She suddenly knew everything, but nothing at the same time.

Then, she looked away. Immediately, she felt a loss. They didn't even touch, only looked at each other and he had this much of an effect over her? The room began to close in on her; she needed her way out. She needed to get out of the room.

"May I please be excused?" she asked suddenly. Her mother looked up from her conversation, nodded, and then went back to talking. So she left.

She nearly ran into her room and quickly began to fix and move things around again. She had been able to get her bed done all by herself and now she had to move the two dressers and the shelf. The desk was already where she wanted it to be.

After pushing and shoving and pushing some more, Anzu was finally done moving the two dressers and shelf. She was proud of her work and immediately started opening new boxes to put things away. She didn't even realize how close it was to dinner-time.

The first thing she took out was a CD player and plugged it in. She turned it on and flicked around on the stations, until she found one she liked. She put away random things to the music until one of her favorite songs came on. She jumped up in happiness and turned up the radio. She stood in the middle of the room and waited for the words to start.

_How can you see into my eyes, like open doors?  
__Leading you down into my core, where I've become so numb._

Anzu danced slowly right on beat with the music. She could understand what the girl was saying, as she had grown up in America until she was five. Her mother was American, but her father was Japanese. She didn't mind though, it was cool knowing two languages.

_Without a soul… My spirit's sleeping somewhere cold,  
__Until you find it there and lead it back home._

This was her favorite part, where it suddenly speeds up.

_(Wake me up) Wake me up inside, (I can't wake up) wake me up inside! (Save me!)  
__Call my name and save me from the dark!  
__(Wake me up) Bid my blood to run, (I can't wake up) before I come undone (Save me)  
__Save me from the nothing I've become._

She moved her body to the music, singing along quietly. Her hips swayed as her arms went out before her. She danced in an intricate pattern, only known by the dancer. She didn't even hear as her door was open.

_Now that you know what I'm without, you can't just leave me.  
__Breathe into me and make me real.  
__Bring me life._

Her eyes were closed as she kept dancing to the song. She had tuned everything out, all she could hear was the song. All she could feel was her heart pounding in her chest. All she could sense was her own energy, no one else. It was as if she was a normal woman.

But that was impossible, right?

_(Wake me up) Wake me up inside, (I can't wake up) wake me up inside! (Save me!)  
__Call my name and save me from the dark!  
__(Wake me up) Bid my blood to run, (I can't wake up) before I come undone (Save me)  
__Save me from the nothing I've become!_

She spun around quickly, eyes still shut. Her hair and skirt flung out around her body, making her seem like an ethereal being. She stepped from side to side as the music slowed down again.

_Bring me to life (I've been livin a lie… there's nothin inside…)  
__Bring me to life…  
__Frozen inside without your touch, without your love, darling  
__Only you are the life among the dead…_

This was another of Anzu's favorite parts. She speeded up her tempo right on time with the music that played loudly.

_All this time, I can't believe I couldn't see.  
__Kept in the dark, but you were there in front of me.  
__I've been sleeping a thousand years it seems; I've got to open my eyes to everything.  
__Without thought, without voice, without soul  
__(Don't let me die here, there must be something more…)_

"_Bring me to life_!" Anzu sang loudly with the music. Suddenly, she stilled, turned around and fell onto the floor, leaning on her bed. Standing in the doorway was Ryou Bakura. He was watching her. She quickly became very fearful. How did she not sense him before? Only after she sang did she feel him.

She was shaking, something that she hadn't done for a long time. All she did was stare up at him; her eyes were wide with shock. He only looked back calmly; both were sure not to make direct eye contact.

_(Wake me up) Wake me up inside, (I can't wake up) wake me up inside! (Save me!)  
__Call my name and save me from the dark!  
__(Wake me up) Bid my blood to run, (I can't wake up) before I come undone (Save me)  
__Save me from the nothing I've become!_

Nothing happened. No one moved. Anzu didn't even bother to get herself up from the floor. She was scared. Could he feel that? Did he understand what he could do to her? Anzu highly doubted that he could.

_Bring me to life. (I've been livin a lie, there's nothin inside.)  
__Bring me to life…_

She was near the point oftrying to hidewhen the song finally ended. Something was wrong here. How could he have been there without Anzu sensing him as he walked in? How could she not have noticed that there was someone else in the room, especially him? Did that mean something? Could he mask his own energy from her? She didn't think anyone could do that.

Without saying anything, Ryou turned around swiftly and shut the door. She could still sense that he was on the other side, waiting. Slowly, she stood up and tried desperately to calm herself down. She breathed in deeply, and exhaled. Then, she inhaled again. Finally, she masked over her emotions and calmly walked from the room.

Sure enough, when she opened the door Ryou was there in front of her. His aura was back to normal, though she didn't know if it was any different before, she didn't think to look. She sighed and looked back up to him.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, coldness trimmed her words.

"Your mother wanted you to come down again, she said that we would eat together." He said quietly, his words were warm. Anzu was breathless. His voice… he had the voice of an angel… of a Seraph...

Not another word was exchanged between the two as they walked back down the stairs, Ryou behind Anzu. She could feel his gaze on her, but she ignored it. She walked into the kitchen and stood in the doorway. Ryou stood by her.

Their two parents were chatting animatedly. Anzu nearly snorted at the innocence of it all. She was supposed to be the innocent one, not her mother! She quickly placed her mask on as her mother turned to look where she and Ryou stood.

"Why don't you two get some food and sit in the living room, I was able to hook up the TV with your father, you two can get to know each other better!" she stated happily. Anzu kept her mask on and quickly gathered some food on her plate. She walked out to the living room and sat down on the couch. Ryou followed after her and joined her about five minutes later.

They both sat there in complete silence, only eating. Neither bothered to turn on the TV, nothing good was on. They didn't look at each other at all and they didn't speak. Then, Ryou's aura suddenly changed.

Anzu looked over to him in slight surprise. It was his inner aura that changed; it was now growing steadily darker. It was turning a deep grey rather quickly. His eyes were wide and his hands clutched at the couch, gripping for something to hold on to. Ryou's outer aura multiplied in length. The color was very dark and deep blue, showing he was scared. Anzu was stunned. This had never happened in front of her before; actually, this wasn't even possible!

Was it?

Anzu involuntarily placed her hand over his and gave him a small squeeze. Suddenly, everything stopped. His inner aura turned back to the normal clear color, but his outer aura remained the same. Luckily, it was slowly shrinking, allowing Anzu to inhale more easily. The air seemed thick around her, and hard to breathe in.

Ryou slowly, shakily, looked over to Anzu. He caught her hand in his own and brought it up about chest level. Anzu was fixed in his gaze. Despite his outer aura, his eyes were quite calm and caring, with only a hint of fear in them. His eyes were warm and friendly. Anzu's gaze softened in his. He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it gently. It was a thank-you.

Anzu smiled in return. That was the first time she smiled in a long time. He finally settled down and then they both sighed. Together, they fell back into the comfortable sofa on which they sat. They didn't even realize that they were still holding hands.

Nearly forty-five minutes later, Tanaka Bakura and Marie Mazaki walked out of the kitchen. Tanaka needed to leave so she was going to get her son. Both mothers sighed and 'awwwww'ed at the sight of their children.

They were both asleep on the couch; Anzu had her arms around Ryou, while his arms were around her waist. Anzu's head rested on the boy's shoulder and his head rested lightly on hers.

"I've never seen my Anzu get so comfortable with someone so quickly!" Marie whispered to Tanaka, who smiled in return.

"I know what you mean. Ryou has always been shy, especially around girls his age. Maybe this will turn out to be a good friendship." She whispered back.

"We should probably wake them now."

"Yes, but only after we get pictures!"

Several flashes and loud giggling occurred after this statement, but the two still did not wake up. It was only after some nudging and more giggling did the two finally decided to open their eyes.

They first saw each other, face to face, only mere inches apart. They both turned their heads to see their parents smiling down at them with cameras in their hands. Immediately, both knew what happened and they jumped away from each other in a blink. Ryou was at one end of the couch, Anzu occupied the other. Both mothers smiled lightly at their behavior.

"Ok, Ryou, it's time to go." Mrs. Bakura said quietly. Ryou nodded and stood up from his seat on the couch.

"Good bye, and come back again!" Marie said and waved goodbye. Tanaka smiled and waved back. Anzu stood from the couch as well and stood beside Ryou.They stood for a little, backs turned to the other person.Finally, they turned to each other.

Suddenly, Anzu placed her arms around Ryou's neck in a hug. "You don't have to be alone. I'll help you. You can share your pain with me." She whispered so only he could hear. His eyes closed as a smile appeared on his face. He hugged her back slowly and lightly. Finally, they broke apart and looked at each other again.

Ryou and his mother left after that. And before Marie could ask her daughter about anything Anzu rushed upstairs to her bedroom. There, she saw the three spirits.

"Hello, again." She greeted calmly.

"_Hello. Do you like your new home?"_ Faith asked. Anzu nodded in response. It was true, she really did like it.

"_Allow us to introduce ourselves,"_ started another female monster, _"I am Wingweaver, and this is Kuribo."_ She stated while gesturing to a small fluff-ball with eyes and appendages. The guardian that just spoke had long purple hair and wore a long yellow dress. She also had wings, three pairs of them to be exact.

"It's nice to meet you." Anzu said. She patted Kuribo on the head lightly and it cooed happily in response.

Anzu turned and looked at the closet she had found earlier. "Do you know what is in that closet?" she asked the Spirits.

"_Yes, we do. Inside that closet are passageways to other rooms of this house."_ Faith answered. Anzu turned from the closet to look out the window. The neighbor's light was on in their room… Wait, wasn't Ryou one of her neighbors?

No, it couldn't be him.

Could it?

Anzu shook the thought from her head. It would be way too convenient if that was him. And her life was anything but convenient.

She shook her head and walked over to the closet. She opened the door and looked around. Sure enough, there were three other, smaller, doors that probably led all over the house. She would have to investigate these and remember where each went.

She closed the door and went to her bed. With a final glance at the closet she turned off the lights and climbed in.

Anzu kept looking over to her neighbor's house. That light… and that shadow in the light… Anzu silently wished that it was Ryou. But considering her luck, he probably lived a few streets away from her. She sighed as the figure turned out the lights in the other house.

Slowly, she closed her eyes and went to sleep. Tomorrow would bring more people to meet and things to see. Because tomorrow was the first day of school.

(End of Chappie)

Well, that was fun! I've been working on this on and off, so the chappies probably won't come out as fast as Dragon Power. But don't worry, cause they will come eventually! Ok, and here's a few things to make things a little less confusing:

Spirits: every house has at least one Spirit that guards it and it's occupants. The house that Anzu used to live in had two, the house she just moved to has three.

Aura's: Everyone has an inner and outer aura (As Anzu dubbed them...) Anyway, the outer aura shows emotions with colors, you'll figure it all out later, there will be alot of references to it. The outer aura is the color of their emotions at the time. The inner aura is the actual color of the aura. Everyone's is different, even if by a shade. You'll see what color Anzu's is later on.

**http/www. images/le5- 002.jpg** delete the spaces, picture of Dark Magician Girl

**http/www. masterpegasus. /darkmagician.jpg **delete the spaces, pic of Dark Magician

**http/shop. store.yahoo. com/yugioh-card/ psv096 win1st.html**delete the spaces, this is a picture of Wingweaver.

**http/www. itstimetoduel. com/deck/ Detailed/22 22.html** delete spaces, pic of Magician of Faith

**http/www. yu-gi-oh.ch/images /SY2-S2/ SY2-012. jpg** delete the spaces, pic of Kuribo

Umm... that's all for now! If you have any questions, or things that confused you, feel free to ask in a review (Or e-mail, or IM) It really doesn't matter... Anyway, Please review, even if it's a flame (Just make sure you don't flat out say that you hate this story, or the characters in the story and have taht as your only reason... make it a GOOD reason if you're gonna flame me...) anyway, Review!

Ja ne!


	2. Meeting Individuals

**Mockingbird**

Well, this is the second chappie to this story. I'm nearly overwhelmed by how many people liked this story! I got 11 reviews! I only got 8 for my first story! That's definately an improvement. Anyway, I would like to thank everyone for their reviews and also...

Disclaimer: I own nothing in this story, not the characters, the Spirits, or the songs... just the idea of the Duel Monsters being Spirits...

Claimer: I do own the house, their parents(Cause I have no idea who their real parents are), their auras, the necklace that Anzu has, all of the powers in this story, and the over-all plot. Thank you.

"The Meeting" - by Yes

_"...No, oh no  
I cannot be deceived  
No, oh no  
There's something  
That I feel  
There's something that I feel inside..."_

**

* * *

Chapter two: Meeting Individuals**

Anzu slowly got dressed for school. She wore baggy dark green pants with a black belt holding them onto her waist and a slightly tight black shirt. She adorned herself in bracelets and two necklaces, the one she found yesterday, and a choker.

She slowly went downstairs, making another mental note to check out where the secret passages in her closet led. She was beginning to get very curious…

Anzu ate breakfast quickly and was about to leave when her mother came down the stairs. "Good morning, Honey, are you leaving already?" she yawned. Anzu nodded.

"Ok, then. Have a good day." She said tiredly. Anzu nodded again and walked out of the house, a slight jump in her step from nervousness.

She looked around for the Spirits and found them all in front of the fence. She smiled gently and calmly as she walked to them. Wingweaver and Faith bowed slightly to her and Kuribo trilled happily.

"I'm leaving for school today; I won't be back for a while. Perhaps we could go explore the tunnels in my closet once I get back home." Anzu offered. The two Spirits smiled and Kuribo squeaked even more.

"_Good bye,_ _Anzu, we will see you soon."_ Wingweaver said calmly. Anzu nodded and went on her way to the bus stop. There, she waited.

And waited…

And waited…

And for a change she waited some more…

Finally, she decided to walk. She turned and was able to get a few steps ahead of the bus stop until she heard someone call her name. "Anzu-chan!" it was male, and very familiar. She turned and saw very recognizable white hair bobbing towards her in a slow run.

"Anzu-chan, I didn't think you'd hear me…" he breathed as he slowed down beside her. She saw that his outer aura was nearly covered in a soft yellow glow, was he happy to see her? She also noticed that the other half was covered in a light blue and light purple mix. What was he worried about?

"Why are you worried?" she asked calmly. He almost looked surprised, but then softened his gaze in understanding.

"Well, school's going to start very soon. I was worried that we wouldn't make it on time." He explained. Anzu nodded in understanding. They only had about seven to ten minutes until they were supposed to be there. But Anzu still remained calm; her outer aura emanating a dark green light.

They stayed in comfortable silence on the walk to school. They arrived at the gate in less than five minutes. Just as they were about to walk in Ryou placed a hand on Anzu's shoulder and turned her to face him. His expression was serious.

"Anzu-chan, I just wanted to say… Thank you, for last night." He told her. Anzu blinked and then her gaze softened. She placed her own hand over his.

"I do not know all of what's going on with you, but I will help in any way I can. You can be sure of that." She said gently. She gave him a small smile, and then walked through the gate. She missed the quiet gasp that came from Ryou. After a slight hesitation, he walked in after her, his mind still wandering to the beauty of her smile.

* * *

"Excuse me, class. We have a new student today. Please welcome Anzu Mazaki." 

Anzu stood beside the teacher quietly, her head held high. Whispers erupted around the class room. This was the third time today she was introduced to a new class; Ryou was not in any of them yet.

She looked around the class, seeing all the different aura colors. Blue, green, pink, orange… any color you could possible think of could be found. And that was only the inner auras. The outer auras varied even more.

She had already befriended another girl. Kawai Shizuka **(1)** was her name. She had long red-brown hair with sparkling eyes. They had talked for a bit and the girl seemed very happy. Her inner aura was lavender, it was very beautiful. Though, one silver orb was always floating before her chest, right over her heart. Anzu found it was very hard not to think about that mystery.

She sat down where the teacher instructed her. Immediately, she was greeted by a boy with spiky hair.

"Hello, I'm Mutou Yugi. It's good to meet you. I hope you like it here." The young boy said quietly, as not to alert the teacher. Anzu noticed that his inner aura was a very deep blue, but the edge of his aura was purple, like it was dipped in some sort of dye.

Soon, another boy joined in. "Hey, I'm Jonouchi Katsuya. Nice ta meet ya, Anzu." The blonde greeted in a thick New York accent. His inner aura was a very deep shade of amber.

"Hello, Yugi-kun. Hello, Jonouchi-kun. I'm glad to meet you." Anzu said in response before all three of them went back to listening to the teacher. Anzu didn't really pay attention, she had already heard this before in her other school. Instead she tried to figure out why Yugi's inner aura was purple _and_ blue.

That's not possible…

Of course, what she saw last night wasn't quite possible either.

Anzu sighed and then decided against thinking about it. People in Domino were so… different… She never had this many encounters with the impossible before. Actually, she _never_ had any encounters with the impossible before. Well, they always say that there's a first time for everything.

In her case there's usually a second, third, fourth, and fifth time too. They forgot to mention those…

Whoever _they_ are.

Anzu nearly banged her head against the desk for where her line of thought was going. Nowhere. That's where it was heading rather quickly.

Finally, the bell rang and Anzu got up from her seat and out the door. She saw Ryou waiting for her by her locker.

"Ryou-kun, I think I've been around normal people for too long." She said blandly. Ryou blinked at her.

"Why's that, Anzu-chan?"

"Because their way of thinking is starting to infect me! I'm beginning to think of nonsense that means nothing!" she cried out in distress.

"How long have you been around 'normal people'?" Ryou asked, slightly curious.

"My whole life."

"Ah…"

"Or maybe… maybe it's not because I've been around 'normal people' too long… maybe it's because I'm here, surrounded by all these different people… people who can do the impossible." Anzu finally realized. Ryou smiled down at her gently.

"Ryou-kun, I think this school is against us."

"Why?"

"Because I still don't have any classes with you yet!" Ryou chuckled in response.

"I know that in this next class we'll be together."

"Really? What is it?" Anzu asked as they walked away from her locker. He smiled.

"It's lunch."

* * *

Six people sat together at lunch. All chatting animatedly like they were friends for years. Well, most of them had been, but the others were not. Nevertheless, they were all acting as childhood friends. 

Anzu looked around the table and her gaze settled onto Yugi. She still didn't figure out why his inner aura was two different colors, but that was okay with her. He was always smiling and laughing with his friends. He seemed to be the kind of person you could go to for advice. She liked that a lot and thought it as a person's own special 'power' in itself.

Her gaze then rested on Jonouchi. He was constantly yelling at his friend, Honda, but she could tell that he had a soft side for his sibling, which she found out later was Shizuka. Anzu also saw that he had a strong will to live and to protect. That was also another special 'ability' few could obtain.

Next was Honda. He was always cracking jokes and trying to make the others laugh. Truth and honor was held in his eyes. His aura was a copper color, very pretty in its own way. He was a good trustworthy friend. Again, another force not many people owned.

Shizuka came after him. She was innocent, unlike so many other people. Her eyes shone in delight because she was with her friends, old and new. Although there was something about her that Anzu just couldn't place; something powerful. She could sense it within the young girl, circulating throughout her entire being, coming together completely at that one center orb. Anzu decided not to worry about it; she might be able to figure it out later.

Finally, her gaze settled on Ryou, who was beside her. He was more guarded about his emotions, and this intrigued her. Actually, though she would never admit it, everything about Ryou intrigued her. The way he acted; the way he guarded his emotions so carefully, so cautiously. He really did remind her of…

It was then that something caught her eye. It was another girl, walking arrogantly to their table. She had long blonde hair; immediately Anzu guessed that she was the popular snob of the school. The only thing missing was the posse behind her was non-existent. Anzu looked closer and saw that her inner aura was a very deep, dark purple. What captivated her interest the most was that there was a small whitish orb swirling around her body, inside of her inner aura.

It seemed that the others soon noticed who was coming, and immediately they got defensive. Joey really seemed distrustful of the girl. Without giving any of them a second glance she sat down in front of Anzu and stared straight at her.

"What are _you_ doin here, Mai?" Joey spoke impolitely and spit out the name as though it were contaminated.

"I'm not here to talk to you dorks, I just wanted to say hello to the new girl." She said annoyed, still looking at Anzu. Anzu only stared back blankly.

"Well if you're gonna say hello, why don't you just do it?" Honda said loudly. Mai glared hard at him and then looked back to Anzu.

Anzu nearly shivered. This woman had a piercing stare, almost as though she was looking through you and not really at you… or maybe something else around you. Anzu slowly watched as the small ball of light rocketed around Mai's body quickly. The opposite girl didn't even notice, though Anzu didn't expect her to.

"Come with me." Mai suddenly demanded and stood up. She came around to the other side of the table and grabbed her hand, pulling her out of the seat. She dragged her away from the table and into the hallway.

"Mai-san, what are you doing!" Anzu demanded as the other girl roughly pushed her up against the wall.

"Ok, Anzu-san, I know that you won't understand this, but I'm going to tell you anyway. I think that you should stay away from Ryou-san and that little group over there." Mai said rather bluntly. Anzu was shocked. Was this her power?

"What are you talking about, Mai-san?"

"I'm not finished yet so just hear me out." Mai said and then continued, "Anzu-san, I can't really explain it to you, but I know that something back is going to happen in that group. I can feel it. I know that you won't understand, but I know that you're something special… there's something there that I can't see, but I can feel it. Just heed my warning and take care of yourself, Hun."

With those final words she walked back into the cafeteria. When the door was opened, with the light shining through, Anzu was able to catch a glimpse of her outer aura. It was silver.

She was telling the truth.

* * *

Anzu waited outside of the school gate. She had promised Ryou in the English class she had with him that she'd walk back home with him. She watched as Mai walked out of the school. She looked pointedly at Anzu, but didn't pay her any attention other than that look. Anzu sighed as she finally walked out of sight. 

She couldn't get her words out of her head. Could she really sense when danger was coming? And what about that orb in her aura?

Domino was just too weird for her.

"Anzu-chan, are you feeling well?"

Anzu turned around to face Ryou. She shook her head negatively. "I'm fine, Ryou-kun, I just have a lot to think about." She explained. It wasn't a lie, she was telling the truth, just not the whole thing.

It's wasn't her fault he didn't ask direct and pointed questions.

"Oh, ok, I thought that something might have been wrong." He said with a shrug. Together they walked home, chatting quietly between each other.

"Did you hear that the school's going to have a play soon?" Ryou asked.

"No, I didn't. What's it gonna be?" she asked, almost excitedly. She always loved acting and theatre in general. She would most defiantly be auditioning for, at least, a small part.

"I'm not sure, they didn't say. Are you going to try out for a part?"

"Yes, I think I will. I've always loved acting. What about you?"

"I think I will. It'll be fun, and if we both make it, it'll be even better." Ryou exclaimed joyously. Anzu noticed that his outer aura was very very yellow right now. Why was so happy? Was it because of what they were talking about, or was it something else?

She decided not to worry about that; like so many other things, and kept walking beside him.

"Anzu-chan, I think you should try out for the lead." Ryou said without warning, causing Anzu to become slightly shocked.

"What gives you that idea?" she asked cautiously.

"Well, I heard you sing last night and… I thought it was… beautiful…" his voice dropped to a whisper and his face suddenly turned red. His outer aura then changed to orange. He was embarrassed over what he told her.

Anzu smiled again, her aura turning yellow for the first time in a while. She was resisting the urge to scream, 'KAWAII!' at the top of her lungs, and instead replied, "Thank you, Ryou-kun; that means a lot to me." She told him tenderly. He looked up at her, slightly surprised now, and blushed even more at her soft smile.

"Come on, Ryou-kun; let's just go to our houses."

* * *

The two friends had gotten home around three-fifteen. It was about four-thirty and Anzu was inside of her closet, in a sense. She was now traveling one of the three tunnels that led from her closet. So far, this one had brought her to the living room, the kitchen, and the dining room. The first one she checked brought her to her parent's room, a guest room, and outside in the backyard. She was on her way back to her room and began to wonder where the last one would take her. 

She crawled out of the passage and into her room. The three Spirits were waiting for her there.

"I'll be done as soon as I search this last one, ok?" Anzu asked. The three nodded in reply. Anzu then crawled into the third passage after she opened the door. She crawled through the darkness and saw a light up ahead. Without her knowing, the necklace she found the other day began to shine slightly, not brightly, but it was still there. Just as she was about to reach the light, she heard something.

"Honey, Anzu has been up in her room for a while now…"

"Ok, how about we both go to check on her."

It was her mother and father; they were coming to her room! Quickly, she was able to turn around and scramble out of the passage. She shut her closet and jumped on her bed, just as a knock sounded on her door.

"Come in." She called. The door opened and her mother and father stepped into the room. They looked at each other and then back to their daughter.

"Are you alright, Anzu? You've been up here for a while…" Her mother trailed off.

"Yes, I'm fine. I just woke up from a short nap." She lied. She felt slightly bad for it, but it was necessary.

It's not like she was actually going to tell the truth.

"Ok, dear, we just got worried. Dinner will be ready soon. The neighbors are coming over again." Her father said with a smile. Anzu nodded. This meant that she would be able to see Ryou again. Even though they had only known each other for a day, they were becoming very close as friends.

Her parents left and shut the door as Anzu sighed. That was way too close. She'd have to be more careful. She turned her head and opened one eye to see Kuribo on her bed, bouncing playfully.

"Hello, Kuribo. Did Wingweaver and Faith go to watch the others?" she asked the fluff-ball animal.

"_Kureee!"_ It chirped and Anzu smiled kindly at it. She played with the small guardian a little bit and soon she heard the door-bell ring.

'That means Ryou is here… and his mother, of course…' Anzu said good-bye to Kuribo and silently went downstairs. She heard two other voices that she did not know. One of a girl and another of an older man. Anzu could only guess that he was the father.

"Hello, again," Tanaka's voice rang out, Anzu could hear the happiness in her voice and didn't even have to look at her aura, "This is my other child Amane, and my husband, Fujita." She introduced.

"Well, it's good to meet you both." Her father greeted.

"Likewise." Another man said in a deep voice. So he was Ryou's father…

"Amane, what are you looking at?" a whisper rather close to her sounded, though no one else but the intended audience and Anzu heard it. She immediately recognized the voice to be Ryou.

"There's someone over there, in the stairwell…" she heard the girl, Amane, whisper back fiercely. Anzu was, to say the least, shocked. She then decided to come out of hiding, since she had already been found.

The first person she saw was the younger sister of Ryou. She was nearly the perfect replica of her father, Anzu would soon realize, with long black hair and brown eyes. Her inner aura was silver with a thin golden coating hugging her entire body. She looked to be only two years younger than Ryou, but her eyes held wisdom beyond her years. There was something in this girl that was extraordinary. She wasn't like the rest.

Of course, therewere a lot of people like that in Domino.

"Hello, Anzu-chan." Ryou greeted with a charming smile.

"Hello, Ryou-kun. Is this your little sister?" she asked with a look at Amane, who smiled at her.

"Yes, it is."

"Hello, Anzu-san, I'm Bakura Amane. It's nice to finally meet you." She said kindly, extending her hand.

"Hello, Amane-san, it's nice to meet you too." She took her offered hand and shook it.

Without any warning, Anzu looked into Amane's eyes as images passed around her at an alarming speed. Thoughts swirled around her, but her gaze stayed fixated on Amane's silver eyes. The world churned around and through her as their eyes remained locked. Fiery cobalt against burning silver.

And then is stopped.

Amane released her hand, a pleased smile on her face and her eyes back to brown. Anzu carefully masked herself, wrapping her true emotions in a tight box and sealing it shut. The only things that were to be shown were the wrappings, but not the things inside.

Anzu looked to her right and then saw their father. Black hair and deep brown eyes, his skin was also slightly tanned. Perhaps he traveled a lot. His inner aura was a deep, but light orange with a slight yellow tint. He looked very kind and was almost always smiling warmly.

"Well," Marie Mazaki interjected on her thoughts, "How about we begin the meal?"

* * *

Anzu sat down gracefully and joined the brother and sister already seated at the small table. Her mother and father set it up in the living room to 'let the children be able to talk with each other,' as she so kindly said to Mrs. Bakura, who couldn't refuse. Anzu was already unsettled, what with the thing between her and Amane and the foreboding feeling she was getting. Her nerves were a wreck. 

In the kitchen, someone dropped an item of silverware with a large clank on the ground. Anzu jumped, her heart beating erratically for something so small. She glanced around and saw that neither Ryou nor Amane had seen her leap. Slowly, she calmed her breathing and her heart pulsed normally again. One question kept coming to her head.

What was going to happen to make her this jumpy?

Small conversation overtook the three teenagers' table quickly. Anzu then had no time to think about anything bad as she slowly, but surely, became friends with Amane.

After all, she had let so many other things slide today, why not let one more thing fly by?

It was well past eight after the four Bakura's left the Mazaki residence. This time, Anzu watched which house they went to from the door, going unnoticed. Cerulean eyes peered through the glass as they walked into a neighboring house. She gasped in surprise.

So it _was_ Ryou she saw last night…

She looked up to the sky, as if looking at some invisible God, and mouthed a small 'Thank you.' She didn't know what for, but she felt it was necessary for some reason. Finally, she went back upstairs and to her room.

She stayed up for a while longer, reading a book. Her parents came in around ten and told her to go to bed. She nodded as they turned out the lights. Anzu closed her eyes slowly. She was encased in darkness and only the sound of her breathing resonated through it.

Anzu's eyes suddenly snapped open. Something was in her room… something _evil_. She curled up in her covers, pushing herself into the corner of her bed. Her hands clutched at her head, trying to tune out the presence. But she couldn't. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't escape from the malicious touch.

A shiver curled down her spine as it grew closer, darker. She almost couldn't breathe from the sheer intensity of the darkness surrounding her. She suddenly had the greatest urge to get out of that room.

And that's exactly what she did.

Anzu jumped out of her bed, draped her blankets around her shoulders, and then jumped out of her window onto the porch's roof. Quickly, she jumped down onto the ground, landing messily on her knees in the mud, and looked back up into her room.

She could see the darkness leaking out from her window like a floating mist. It was wisp-like in structure and was slowly making its way back to where she stood. Immediately, she ran across the yard to the neighbor's house and looked from window to window hastily. She was trying to sense who was in what room.

It was then that she remembered the previous night. She looked straight towards the window that lead towards Ryou's room. A rock found its way into her hand as she crouched on the ground. She threw it with some force to the window. After a little bit, Anzu looked back to her house and saw that more of the darkness was escaping. She looked back to the window hurriedly.

Nothing happened.

She threw two more rocks and then waited. Her heart leapt when the lights turned on inside of the room. A figure came to the window and opened it slowly, rubbing the sleepiness out of his eyes. He looked down and saw Anzu, his gaze settling questioningly.

"Ryou-kun, meet me at the front door!" Anzu shouted quietly, as not to wake other people. He nodded and closed the window. Then he disappeared from view.

Anzu ran again, this time away from the wisps of darkness that were clawing closer to her body. She moved towards the front door and nearly smiled at the sight of it being opened. She saw Ryou peer out and spot her running form. She rushed inside and shut the door as quickly and quietly as she could.

She breathed a deep sigh of relief and then turned to face Ryou. He gazed back softly, aware not to look straight into her eyes. She was also quite aware, and her eyes focused on the bridge of his nose as she answered.

"I'm sorry that I woke you up, but I was wondering if I could sleep here tonight… There was something evil in my house." She whispered the last part even fainter than the first. Ryou simply observed her with chocolate pools and then nodded.

"You can stay with me tonight." He whispered back, completely understanding. Anzu mentally thanked God for that and followed him as he went up to his room. He realized that she did not want to be alone, and she was thankful for it. There was no awkward comment about both of them in the same bed; all they would do is sleep, and nothing more.

Though, the experience would still be awkward, no doubt.

Ryou then noticed her appearance. The bottom half of her was soaked with mud and grass-stains. There were also a few splatters of the brown substance on her face, speckled like paint on a canvas.

"You can change into some of my clothes if you want… I have an extra shirt and pants around here somewhere…" he offered, almost shyly. Anzu looked down and also noted her appearance for the first time that night. She looked back up to her friend and nodded at him. He quickly found the extra clothes.

Anzu changed quickly in the bathroom and then came into his room again. The clothes were big on her, and hung off of her lithe form, but they were comfortable. She smiled gently at him as he led her to his bed. Ryou ushered her under the covers first, and then he slid in as well. Neither touched the other. It was already awkward and they didn't need anything else to add to that.

Anzu waited, eyes darting around the room from her position on the bed. She was trying to sense where that _thing_ had gone to. It seemed to have disappeared for now. Though Anzu didn't know why it had even come in the first place. She had never encountered anything like that before.

But there was a lot of stuff like that in this town.

With that final thought, Anzu closed her eyes lightly. Weariness washed over her like a wave of warm water and she was soon asleep, curled beside Ryou. Ryou also fell asleep soon after. Neither noticed as they reached out for each other in their sleep, and found theperson there, waiting patiently for them to be together.

* * *

(1) Kawai Shizuka is Jonouchi's little sister. The reason that her last name is Kawai, is because she has the last name of her mother, since their parents are divorced. 

Ok, that was a difficult chappie... I don't think it was the best, but oh well. Anyway, why are there so many 'weird'people in Domino? What was that evil thing trying to get Anzu? Well, you'll just have to keep on reading, won't you:)

Heh, just another quick thing that has nothing to do with the chappie, I have three stories up, and it's really cool. When you're an author they have a neat little thing that you can go to Stats, and then check on your stories. Well, my first one, Dreaming of Reality, has 111, my second has 11, and the last one that I just put up yesterday has 1. It's cool because they are all in a row and I just found it interesting... anyway...

**To my Reviewers:**

**Mariale Benitez: **Thank you, I was aiming for different. I think that they're cute too! Well, here's the update!

**Whimsical Lady:** Thank you! You're so sweet! I actually didn't think it was that original, but since you've pointed it out to me I've realized that it kinda is. Yeah, it's not very real, since they have powers and all, but I try to tone that down a bit. She does have one more power that is Really strong, but I'm saving that for later. I don't really want her to be the most powerful in this story, because I think that would be to cliche, I'll give that bit to someone else:) Thank's again! I loved writing the mother's part, it's so fun! The dark aura MIGHT be who you think... you'll just have to keep on reading... lol

**kohoshi-chan: **Thank you! You're so sweet! Here's chappie number two!

**Nocturnalwitch:** Here it is!

**Joe's girl:** Well, here's the next chappie, Skerd, I hope you like it!

**DojomistressAmbyChan:** Thank you so much! Well, it's a little bit more of Ryou, not reallyall the way to his POV, but he's thankful for what she did... maybe a little bit more next chappie... Thank you again:)

**quicksilverbird:** Lol, well, Skerd, that's a good thing! Here's the next chappie!

**Bloody Rose90: **Thank you! Here's the update!

**Devil-Grl: **Maybe it means that Bakura is in him... you'll just have to read more... Oh, sorry I confused you! I didn't mean to, really! I just have a knack for doing that to my readers! Heh, sorry about that!

**2lazy2login:** Thank you! I will!

**Madja-Duellist of the Roses: **Thank you so much! Yeah, Ryou/Anzu isn't very common, but it's so CUTE! Heh, thanks again!

Ok, Now, everybody, REVIEW! Ja ne!


	3. Closer Friends

Hey, minna-san! I am so sorry that this took so long to get out, I didn't mean it to last two months! >.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chappie of Mockingbird!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh. If I did, would I really be writing this fanfiction? -- I also don't own the legend of Tanabata  
Claimer: I do, however, own Anzu's necklace, this plot, and a few other random characters poping in and out of the story.

"More Than Friends"- by 3LW

_"...It's the same dream  
Over and over  
I can see us walking and holding hands  
You and me  
Closer and closer..." _

**Mockingbird**

**Chapter Three: Closer Friends**

She inhaled a sweet scent as she woke up. A strong musk with something else mixed in… cinnamon. She exhaled and then breathed in again, instantly hooked on the smell. She slowly snuggled her way back into the covers and to the warmth behind her. Something was around her, circling her in soft body heat. An arm was wrapped around Anzu's lithe form, just above her breasts and right below her shoulders.

This was how Anzu woke up.

It was when she realized there was something warm behind her that her crystal blue eyes opened in confusion. She looked down at the arm touching her and then looked around the room, almost frightened. Where was she?

Slowly, she turned around to see who was holding her so lightly. It was comfortable and soothing, almost lulling her to sleep again, but she wouldn't go back to sleep until she figured out who it was. Her gaze rested on a tuft of white hair and she heard slow breathing. Immediately she realized it was Ryou and last night's events came back to her in a flash.

Instead of pulling away, she snuggled closer to the young boy. She pressed her head into the crook of his neck and breathed in deeply again. His scent was overpowering and she quickly became lost in it. Slowly, she was being soothed back to sleep.

Only to have it stop suddenly.

The alarm clock went off loudly with its annoying ring. Anzu jumped in Ryou's arms and he woke up. Russet eyes opened slowly to look at the alarm and then at the girl in his arms. A blush spread over his cheeks as the alarm switched off for the time being.

Anzu didn't look at Ryou; she too was blushing but neither had pulled away yet. She was content in his arms and felt safe while close to him. But she wouldn't tell anyone that. Especially him. No one would have to know what she felt; and no one would. She kept to tight a hold on her emotions.

Finally, Anzu shifted away from him. He seemed to wake up completely and also moved from her. They soon got out of the bed and stood across from each other. Ryou was the first to speak.

"Umm… you should probably go, Anzu-chan, before my parents wake up and find you here." He said softly. She nodded in reply.

"Ok." She whispered back. He escorted her to his front door and there they said good-bye until school.

"Ja ne, Ryou-kun. Thank you." Anzu said quietly.

"Ja ne, Anzu-chan. I'll see you soon." Ryou added. Before Anzu left, though, she hugged him tightly in her arms. He froze in his place as she left his house silently. He closed the front door and turned around. Then, he leaned against it and slid down the length of it slowly. He hung his head and sighed deeply before standing up and getting ready for school.

-------

Anzu blushed silently in class as she stared out the window. She had just thought of what she had done at the beginning of the day and could barely believe it. What was she thinking? She hugged him? She must've lost her mind for a moment.

And then she remembered the feeling that nearly overwhelmed her before she left. A feeling of thankfulness that she couldn't put into words. It made her heart jump in happiness before she finally calmed down. Finally, she declared to herself that she would push that thought to the farthest corner of her brain and, hopefully, never think about it again.

But part of her wanted to think about it; to think about _him_.

She shook her head violently as the thought came to her brain and began to reason with herself. _I've only known him for two days… Oh, geez, I've only known him for two days!_ She screamed inside her head. _But I still slept in the same bed with him? Oh my God! He must think I'm some sort of slut…_ her mind began to panic and she looked shiftily around the room. Anzu idly gripped the necklace she had found two days ago.

_No, Ryou understands me…_ the one thought zoomed through her head and she stilled. That was right, he did understand her. He knew what it was like to be different from normal people. But she couldn't figure out why. It was probably because he was…

Her thoughts were cut off by the bell that signaled lunch.

She got up wearily and walked out of the classroom. She looked to her locker and there was Ryou, waiting patiently for her. Without warning, she blushed and stopped walking quickly. _What's wrong with me? He's just a friend!_ she screamed in her brain. Not even thinking, she turned and rushed into the bathroom that was luckily right beside her.

She sighed and leaned on the door, wondering idly what was wrong with her. She had only known him for two days but this never happened before. She looked up towards the mirrors and froze in her place. There, staring back at her was Mai.

_Oh great_, she thought bitterly, just _what I need to brighten my already confused day…_ Anzu stared back at Mai, her emotionless mask on again.

"Oi, Anzu-chan, why are you all red?" she suddenly asked. This made her mask crack a bit as she blushed again.

"I'm not red, and why are you being so impolite!" she demanded coming over to the large mirror to look at herself. It was true, she was red. She sighed audibly and began to wash her face.

"Aww, Anzu-chan, I thought we were friends." Mai spoke, feigning hurt. "So, why were you blushing?" this comment only made Anzu blush again as her thoughts turned to Ryou.

"There was no reason, Mai-san. I was just… ano… embarrassed in class by the teacher…" she lied while washing her face again with cold water. She could tell that Mai didn't believe her.

"Come on, Anzu-chan, we know each other by now. No need to be so formal with me." Mai said, making Anzu nearly cheered in happiness when she didn't say anything about the lie. Maybe she could be friends with the girl.

"Oi, do you want to eat lunch with me?" Anzu asked her, completely random. She had just dried her face off and was looking at her intently. Mai was surprised and it clearly showed on her face.

"What did you say?"

"I said; would you like to eat with me, Mai-chan?" Anzu said again, this time with a small smile. Again, Mai looked surprised, but then she softened, a smile gracing her features.

"That would be nice. Thank you." She said softly. Anzu nodded and both girls walked out of the restroom. Anzu looked towards her locker and there was Ryou, smiling softly at her. She gave a small smile of her own and grabbed her lunch from her locker. Ryou didn't question about Mai at all and Anzu assumed he already figured it out.

They made their way to the table, Mai behind them. Once they got there, they were greeted kindly until Jou saw Mai.

"Wat is _she_ doin' here?" he shouted while pointing his finger. His lips were drawn up in a light snarl and Mai only glared at him.

"I'm eating, you baka inu, that's what people do at lunch." She growled back. Unfortunately, for them there was only one seat left and it was right behind Jou. She sat down in a huff and crossed her legs. "Anzu-chan invited me."

"Chan? Since when did you two get so close!"

"Jou-kun, calm down, it's good that Anzu-chan made a new friend." Yugi offered weakly, making his friend's glare at Mai be redirected towards him. He smiled sheepishly and put his hands up in surrender.

"Ok, minna-san, let's stop fighting and start eating and such. I know that I need help studying for next period, I have a quiz in math." Shizuka sighed, breaking up the small tension at their table. Anzu and Yugi helped her study, Jou and Mai held a glaring contest, and everyone else chatted happily amongst themselves.

"Excuse me… May I have you're attention, please?" a voice called out. No one listened or paid any attention. "Everybody, listen up, please." It called again. He still got the same answer from the crowd of students.

"LISTEN TO ME!"

All mouths were shut and all eyes were drawn to the man standing in the doorway. He was tall, with a commanding blue gaze. He had very dark brown hair that was slightly balding on the top. The man wore a suit of black with a white tie.

"Thank you. I, you're principal, am here to announce the beginning of the school musical. This year, we will do 'Tanabata.' Here is you're music teacher for more information on that." He declared. Then, he stepped to the side and allowed a middle-aged lady to step through the doors.

The music teacher had short, curly blonde hair and dull, almost foggy green eyes. She had a strict face and stood stiffly in the threshold.

"Hello, students." She spoke lightly, "As you have heard, we will be doing 'Tanabata' as our play for this year. You all know that Tanabata is actually a legend, and we will be re-enacting it. Auditions for a part will be next week on Wednesday after school. I hope to see you there." She said calmly and then turned and walked out of the room.

"Now you may go back to you're regularly scheduled lunch-time. Thank you for listening." The principal spoke again and then also left. As said, the students each went back to conversing with each other happily.

"'Tanabata'? I love that legend." Shizuka commented. Everyone nodded.

"Is anyone here gonna try out for a part?" Yugi asked, looking around the table with a smile on his face. His purple eyes nearly sparkled in delight. "I think I'll work backstage." He added.

"Well, of course, I'm going to try out for a part." Mai said loudly. Anzu almost chuckled as she flipped her hair over her shoulder to hit Jou in the face repeatedly. "I mean, how could we have a good school play without me in it?" she asked, not really expecting an answer.

Of course, she got one from Jou.

"We could have a better one without your low-class actin' skills." He said with his trademark New York accent. Mai glared at him with fierce lavender eyes.

"And nobody asked you, Jonouchi Katsuya!" she yelled. He glared back with the same fire behind his golden-brown eyes.

"It don't matta if no one asked, I'll talk if I wanna!" he shouted back. They glared at each other a little while longer until they stopped, huffed, and sat back down glaring in opposite directions.

"What about you, Anzu-chan? Do you think that you'll try out for a part?" Yugi asked, turning the attention to her. She could feel Ryou's pointed gaze on her, reminding her of yesterday's after-school discussion.

"Hai, I think I might go out for a smaller part. It would be fun." She said a small smile on her face. She turned to Ryou and saw that he too, was smiling at her. She turned away, a light blush caressing her cheeks. This did not go unnoticed by Mai who chose to stay quite at the time.

"Lunch is about to end, so I'm gonna head off to my next class." Honda spoke up quickly while standing. Everyone said goodbye to him kindly, except Mai, who didn't really know him well enough for that. Just before he was out the door, he bumped into someone. He quickly turned to say he was sorry but the man he crashed into was cold to him and very arrogant.

"Oi, who's that guy over there?" Anzu asked; pointing to the man Honda just bumped into. Everyone looked over to where she was pointing. Jou glared at him harshly and Yugi sighed.

"That's Kaiba Seto. He's the leader of Kaiba Corp." Yugi explained.

"He's the leader? But he's still in school!" Anzu exclaimed. Everyone nodded in response.

"His adopted father disappeared a few years ago, and ever since then he took over." Yugi spoke again, seemingly knowing everything. Anzu looked closer at Seto, into his aura. His inner aura was a very light blue, like ice, and got lighter as it neared his body. The outer aura was mostly just a horde of colors splattered around. She could barely tell any distinct color apart from another one.

"He must be very busy…" Anzu commented. Shizuka nodded.

"Yeah, what with his business to run, school, and he takes care of his little brother Mokuba. So far, though, he's only gotten one person to help him with it all and that's Kisara." Shizuka said.

"Kisara? Who's she?" The brunette asked.

"Did someone say my name?"

Anzu turned around to see another girl standing behind her. She had pale skin and light blue hair. She was different from the rest, Anzu could tell before even looking into her aura. The girl had sparkling dark blue eyes that stared at everyone at their table, waiting for their explanation.

"Yes, we were just telling Anzu-chan how you were the only one helping Kaiba-san." Shizuka told her truthfully, obviously knowing the girl well. Kisara smiled and nodded in response.

"Hai, I watch over his little brother when he needs me to." Kisara told them. It was then that Anzu decided to look into her aura, just to see if she was different like the rest of Domino. She nearly screamed when she did, however; as she saw something incredible.

Kisara had a blue-ish/white dragon wrapped around her body, its head resting on her shoulder.

The dragon's eyes were closed, as if in some sort of sleep. Two large wings from the dragon came out to surround the girl, like it was protecting her. Now Anzu knew why she sensed that Kisara was different. It's because she was.

"Well, I'd better go. Class is going to start soon. It was nice meeting you all, ja." She said with a smile and then left. She walked to Seto and then left with him, probably talking about her job and such.

"She seems nice." Ryou commented.

"She is very kind. We should invite her to sit with us sometime." Shizuka said with a bright smile on her face.

"Yea, but if we invite her, then she might bring Mr. Moneybags along too." Jou growled and rolled his eyes at the mention of his nickname for Seto.

"Really, Jou-kun, you could try to be a little nicer to him." Yugi said kindly.

"And everyone else around you." Mai added on darkly. Jou was about to retaliate, when the bell for lunch dismissal rang. Everyone stood up and gathered their books. They all began moving to go to their separate classes after saying bye to each other. Ryou and Anzu walked together, as they had the same class to go to.

"Are you really going to try out for a part, Anzu-chan?" Ryou asked.

"That's what I told you before, right?" she said. He nodded in response. "Then I will try out for one, but that doesn't mean I'll get it. I'll try my hardest though." She said.

"Then so will I." Ryou said firmly. Anzu knew that he also planned to try out for a part. She just wondered what parts there were to try out for. She defiantly didn't want the lead, but maybe a close part to that. She wasn't very sure though. Her thoughts were broken by Ryou.

"Are you ready for English? I heard we have a substitute today."

-------

Anzu sighed as she walked into her house. She just needed time to think; about everything. The past two days were just too much for her to handle. The moving part was okay with her, but meeting people that could do the impossible was taking a toll on her sanity level.

And the worst part was; the people who could do the impossible, didn't know that they could.

The brunette trudged upstairs and prepared a bath for herself. She just needed to go over everything in her mind, maybe even write it down later. But right now, she just needed to think.

Slowly, she stripped herself of her clothing and settled into the bath. The breathed in deeply as the warmth cradled her body softly. She tilted her head up and rested it on the wall. Her cerulean eyes stared unfocused on the ceiling; unseeing, as she was lost in her thoughts.

Domino, the city she moved to, the city her father grew up in. The people here were different. Way too different. But why? What happened to make them that way?

Anzu decided this was much too big of a question and redirected her thoughts to something smaller.

Like, why would Kisara have a dragon in her aura?

Its eyes were closed, Anzu remembered, as if it was asleep. So maybe Kisara could actually _control_ this dragon. And the wings, seemingly coming out of Kisara's back, almost surrounded her completely. So… was the dragon her guard against something?

Something apparently evil?

This thought rocketed Anzu back to the night before, the whole reason why she ran to Ryou. The evil mist in her room, chasing her. Why had it chased her? Why had it not been able to get into Ryou's home? What shielded her from it? Was it Ryou, or someone else?

Anzu began to get a headache. Her own questions were proving to be too much to think about, let alone answer, all at once. She inhaled deeply before ducking her head under the water, trying to clear her thoughts.

She came back up and began to think again. Kisara's dragon was nearly plaguing her mind. For some reason, it reminded her of the guardians of the houses… Her head shot up. What if it was her guardian? Like how some houses held guardians, what if she had her own that she could call upon if she was in danger? And what if she took it to the next level, what if _everyone_ had a guardian? But she could call on it, and the rest were dormant within their masters…

Anzu could feel another headache coming along.

She sighed and stood up. The brunette unplugged the bath so the water would drain out as she dried herself off. Her brown hair dripped water onto her shoulders as she continually tried to rid herself of the water on her body. Finally, she succeeded. Quickly, Anzu got changed into her nightgown and walked into her room.

Suddenly, she stopped, completely still. Her eyes stared straight ahead, blank and unseeing.

_It_ was here… the evil was still in her room…

Without any warning, she lashed out with her arm towards her right, as if swatting something that only she could see. Quickly, she ran out of her room and shut the door, leaning against it heavily. She needed a plan; her parents would grow suspicious if she suddenly didn't sleep in her room anymore.

Then, the idea hit her like a splash of cold water.

It was perfect! She thought happily, there was no other way around it, so it had to work or she didn't know what would happen to her. She rushed downstairs to her parents and slid to a stop in front of the kitchen door.

"Can I stay over at Amane-chan's house tonight?" she asked bluntly. Her parents, both in the kitchen eating, only stared at her. Her mother was the first to respond.

"Well, if it's ok with her parents." She muttered. Anzu nearly fainted from happiness. They weren't that suspicious and they actually said yes! Now, it was only up to Amane…

"Ok, I'll go ask now!" she exclaimed and nearly ran out the door. She approached her neighbor's house and knocked on the door. She breathed in deeply as she tried not to think of what would happen if they didn't agree. The door opened to reveal Amane.

"Oh, hello, Anzu-chan. Daijoubu desu ka?" she asked, peering out into the darkness.

"Hai, daijoubu desu. Ano… I was wondering if I could sleep over here tonight." She asked, slight worry leaking through her mask. Amane looked at her, question in her eyes. They stared at each other for a while until Amane suddenly blinked and smiled at Anzu.

"Hai, just let me ask first." She said kindly and then invited her inside. Anzu stood inside the house, the door closed behind her. It was then that she took in her surroundings, last night she was too preoccupied with getting away from the darkness to really look around.

The house was pretty, not over-extravagant but not dirty either. They had a few family pictures up and some other decorative pieces as well. Finally, Amane came back with a smile on her youthful face.

"My mother says you can." She stated brightly, "Come on upstairs, I'll show you around." Another smile appeared on her face. It was nearly contagious and Anzu also found herself smiling, in friendliness and relief.

Amane showed her around quickly, telling her where each room was. Anzu mentally sighed as she had not yet encountered Ryou. She was almost completely relaxed as she walked into Amane's room. As they prepared their beds, they chatted with each other.

"So you're half American, right?" Amane asked. Anzu nodded in response. "That's really cool. Our family is completely Japanese; the only thing that really makes us stand out is the white hair. Only my mother and brother have that though, I didn't inherit that." She stated.

"So if you didn't inherit that, what makes you stand out?" Anzu asked. She didn't notice as Amane stilled while pulling back her covers. The raven-haired girl knew what she was referring to, their first meeting. Amane smiled and shook her head gently.

"Nothing makes me stand out. I'm just your ordinary girl living a plain life." She said with a sigh. Anzu knew she was obviously lying, knowing from her first meeting that she was different. She didn't press the matter though, and let it slide.

"Thank you, Amane-chan, for letting me sleep over tonight." Anzu said gratefully.

"I just figured you needed a favor since it was so sudden. Sometimes I can just tell that people need something, almost like Seeing the future, ne?" Amane said; a smile on her face with her eyes closed. "Well, let's get ready for bed now, we need to wake up early tomorrow for school." she stated while turning off the light.

Anzu nodded and settled into her bed comfortably. _What had Amane meant by that? Seeing the future? _Anzu wondered as she closed her eyes. Sleep overtook her tired brain quickly and she let her thoughts drift silently into her subconscious. Tomorrow would be another day to think about all that had happened, and maybe even what would happen to her.

* * *

Well, that's the end to another chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it. 

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY, MINNA-SAN! AND HAPPY TANABATA!

In case you're wondering, the reason Anzu's parents agreed so quickly is because she's never been this close to someone before. They want her to have friends, but she's always been distant with everyone until now. -

**To my wonderful reviewers that keep me going:**

**randomreviewer**: Thank you so much! I'll try to!

**MarialeBenitez:** Yeah, Mai does have an important part, I'm glad you noticed it. Yes, Yami will be appearing soon if I can get him to work with me, he's slightly difficult to portray... Bakura-kun will be making another appearance rather soon, be patient:) thanks for the review!

**ang3L-blue**: uwah! Arigatou! It may turn into a triangle... Shizuka, I'm not sure about quite yet, but she will have someone!

**DojomistressAmbyChan**: Yes, hopefully each chapter will thicken the plot a bit more until it all unravels... Yes, many strange people live in Domino, and there's a reason behind that too! The shadow will be revealed later on, it does have importance. Lol, yeah, I really rushed that, but I hope I cleared it up a little bit for you. (I'm not that evil that the parents would come in... though, the thought did come to mind...) Thank you so much! Here's the update!

**SoujirouKaorufanatic**: Thank you so much, you're words are so kind! Yes, the pairing is very rare, so I love writing this story. Thank you again!

**Elwryan Leatherleaf**: Thank you, I'm sorry that you had to wait so long! Again, thank you!

**moonscout11**: Thank you, I'll try!

**Bloody Rose90**: Thank you, here's the update!

**SilentMonkGirl**: Thank you so much! I will continue!

**LadieAnimeFreek**: heh, you can put the really really bighammer down - Thank you, I really love this pairing as well. I hope you enjoy this chappie!

Well, everyone; Read, Enjoy, Review! Ja ne!


	4. Taking Over

Konichiwa, Minna-san! I'm sorry this took so long to get out! I didn't mean for it to, really! Anyway, Here's the fourth chapter! Enjoy!

* * *

**ChapterFour: Taking Over**

Song by Evanescense- "Taking Over Me"

_"... but who can decide what they dream?  
And dream I do..._

_I believe in you,  
I'll give up everything just to find you.  
I have to be with you;  
To live,  
To breathe,  
You're taking over me..."_

Anzu opened her eyes and blinked. This was the second night in a row of waking up in another house. Slowly, she got out of her bed and looked around. Amane was still asleep and it was six-fifteen. She walked out of the room and blinked as the light hurt her eyes.

Just as her sight adjusted, a door opened. She looked towards it reflexively, wondering what was coming out. At first, it didn't quite register at all, although it was familiar; white hair and deep brown eyes. The only part that really threw her off was the fact that the only thing he was wearing was a towel around his waist…

Wait, a _towel?_

Reality slammed back into her brain quickly as she realized she was staring at a nearly-naked Ryou. Quickly, she turned around and tried her best to control her blush, failing miserably while doing so. She missed the blush that caressed his face, but did catch a small chuckle from someone in front of her.

She looked up and saw a Spirit. It was laughing at them… Anzu sighed and kept her head down, still blushing intensely. "G-gomen nasai, Ryou-kun; I didn't know you were in there…" she stuttered, obviously embarrassed.

"Hai, daijoubu, Anzu-chan…" he said lightly and rushed into his room. As soon as he closed the door, both teenagers let out sighs of relief. It was then that Anzu turned back to the Spirit. It looked back at her, slightly surprised that she could see.

"_You can see me, right?"_ it asked. Anzu nodded calmly in response. _"My name is Shadow Tamer." _she said. Shadow Tamer had long light blue hair and dark blue eyes. Her outfit was gold, and more like a swimsuit with a long tail in the back. A whip was on her side, Anzu noticed. (http/ yugioh-land. com/loshtaun 2edc. html) delete spaces.

"So, you are one of the guardians of this house?" Anzu asked.

"_Yes, I am a guardian of this house but, I am also the guardian of Bakura Amane." _Shadow replied. Anzu nearly stumbled back in shock. What was it she thought last night?

…_What if everyone had a guardian…_

Anzu's blue eyes were wide with shock. Had she been right about that? Shadow looked at her, a confused expression on her face.

"_Is there something wrong?"_ she asked. Anzu only shook her head numbly. _"Well, I must be going then. It was nice to meet you, Anzu."_ Shadow nodded in farewell and then disappeared. Anzu didn't even wonder how the guardian knew her name.

It was then that Amane opened the door to her room and walked over to Anzu. "Ohayo, Anzu-chan. O-genki desu ka?" she asked with a smile on her face. (Good morning, little Anzu, how are you?)

"Genki desu; anata wa?" Anzu replied, diverting her gaze from Shadow's last spot to Amane. (I'm fine; and you?)

"Genki desu." She said and then brought Anzu with her downstairs. Anzu followed quietly, her mind blank. She couldn't even think of where to start thinking, it was all too confusing for her.

Before she knew it, she was seated at the dining room table, being served breakfast by Amane. The black-haired girl was quick; Anzu didn't even have time to object before it was served. The brunette ate quietly, thoughts wandering aimlessly through her mind.

It was only after Ryou also arrived at the table did she remember the first event of the morning.

She decided to issue her self-control; instead of spitting out all of her food all over Ryou as she remembered and then blushing from head to toe, she only dropped her chopsticks and the food that she was going to eat and then blushed from head to toe.

Yes, in this case, that really **was** self-control.

She nervously picked up her chopsticks and continued eating, avoiding not only Ryou's gaze, but Ryou entirely.

Finally, Amane also joined the table. Following closely were their parents; both of which had smiles on their faces. Obviously, they were morning people and passed that trait down to their children. Anzu became slightly jealous of that.

"So, how was your night sleep?" the mother, Tanaka asked with a bright smile. It was barely even six fifty and she was already beaming brightly.

"Fine." Ryou answered curtly.

"Ours was good; don't worry, Mom, we didn't stay up late at all." Amane said truthfully. And although Anzu would've liked to stay up later discussing what Amane had meant last night, she was glad for the extra sleep now. She nodded in response to Amane's answer.

"Well, that's great." Tanaka said, another smile blooming on her face. Anzu nearly grimaced. It was simply too much happiness for her to take in this early in the morning.

The rest of breakfast was filled with small chatter, mostly the parents with a few side comments from their children. Anzu remained quiet unless spoken to, which, luckily for her, was not often.

"Oh my, it's nearly seven fifteen. Ryou, would you please escort Anzu back to her house so she can finish getting ready for school?" Tanaka asked innocently. Ryou was momentarily stunned before replying.

"Of course, mother."

Anzu gulped nervously. She would be alone with Ryou… but it was only for the two minutes it took to get to her house. That made it slightly better. She sighed and continued to eat the rest of her breakfast in silence; either ignoring or not noticing the glances cast from a white haired boy.

--------------

"Thank you for taking me back home, Ryou-kun." Anzu said with her head bowed. Ryou walked beside her calmly, his hands stuffed in his pockets.

"Of course, Anzu-chan." He commented lightly. He was trying his hardest to not remember the incident that morning. It wasn't really super embarrassing; it was just that it was… very weird…

Ryou shook his head to clear his thoughts. It was something that he wouldn't bring up again, and she wouldn't either. He should just forget about it completely.

They approached the door quickly and stepped up to it. "I'll wait for you, so we can walk together to school, okay?" He asked gently, his eyes on hers.

"Okay, that sounds good." She replied. Anzu made the mistake of looking up into his eyes and being caught in his gaze.

She gasped lightly as she was suddenly caught up by his look. His shimmering brown eyes were all she knew, and all she ever wanted to know. He gazed back down at her also trapped in her cerulean stare. Without noticing, they inched closer to each other. Their breaths mingled together and their eyes became lightly misted. They were so close…

Without warning, Anzu jumped away from the white haired boy and his eyes widened. What were they just about to do?

Anzu sucked in air and then rushed inside the house with a quick, "Wait here," and disappeared. Various shouts, thuds, explosions, and other such noises sounded from inside the house until Anzu rushed out again, fully dressed for school. She let out a long sigh and then straightened up quietly.

"Well, are you ready to go?"

--------------

Anzu inspected the shelves slowly. She was currently in the library during her free period. Her day had gone by without very much happening; lunch was probably the most interesting. Even though Mai had chosen not to sit with them again (probably due to the cryptic warning she gave Anzu during her first day at school.) it was still more interesting than the rest of her day.

She was looking for something to help her with protecting herself from the evil thing in her room. It had been a real hassle this morning to change and gather her stuff. Luckily for her, the house guardians helped her quite a bit. Anzu needed to find something that could block the evil from getting into her room. Luckily, it only seemed to be after her and no one else in her family.

Though, she was slightly doubtful that she would find anything about magic in the school library.

Anzu shivered as a chill crawled down her spine. She looked to the left and spotted a long, thin door at the end of a lengthy hallway. For some reason, she was drawn to it, like some sort of magic pulled her towards it. She stepped towards it, drawn to wondering what was behind that door.

Before she knew it, she was standing in front of the door. Carefully, her shaking hand reached out and grasped the door-knob. Anzu turned the golden handle and peered inside cautiously.

Shelves and shelves of books appeared in her vision. Cerulean eyes got bigger as she looked around the dark room. She flicked on the lights and walked in deeper. She walked up to one of the shelves and picked out a book; _Magic and Talismans._

Gasping, Anzu looked up at other books. They were all about magic! She placed the first book back in its place as she wandered around again, looking for books that would help her.

In barely no time at all, she already had four books picked out that could help her in many ways. All of them were rather thick, and also heavy. Idly, the brunette wondered how she would manage to sneak them out of the library. She doubted that the librarian knew of this place, she was too strict to believe in magic… Anzu believed that this could be a haven of someone else…

She didn't dwell on who knew about this place for long. Quickly, she shoved the four books into her backpack while taking out other books she could carry. She could only pray that no one asked what was in her pack to make her carry her books in the first place.

Luckily for her, she did not get any hassle from anyone in the library, and was able to walk out unnoticed. She let out her breath she was unconsciously holding and stuffed all the books into her locker as soon as she got there. Her heart raced in anticipation; she could barely wait to get home.

"Anzu-chan?"

She whirled around to face the person who called her name. She was defiantly not ready and was very surprised that there was someone in the hall besides her; it _was _free period, after all. The first thing her mind registered was long golden locks of hair and amethyst eyes staring at her intently.

"Oh, Mai-chan… it's only you." Anzu breathed a response. She turned completely to face her and let a small smile grace her features. "O-genki desu ka?"

"I should be asking you the same thing." She answered curtly. Anzu looked at her unsurely.

"What do you mean, Mai-chan?"

"There's something wrong, isn't there? Something dangerous…" the blonde looked around Anzu, instead of directly at her, making Anzu shift silently. Finally, her purple eyes locked onto her form again.

"I told you before; you are in danger if you stay with those people. I don't want to see you get hurt, Anzu-chan." Mai paused for a moment, as if deciding what to say, "It's not them, it's something else… I can't explain it… but I know you understand." She ended, closing her eyes slowly. Mai took two steps back, then turned and walked away from the brunette, leaving her alone in the hallway again.

_I really want to know her power…_ Anzu thought idly. Sighing, she picked up her backpack, which she dropped when placing the books in her locker, and went to a study hall class for the remaining time of her free period.

- - - - - - - - - -

Finally, the last class of the day. Anzu breathed in deeply and sighed in relief. Her final class was Art, except on Tuesdays and Fridays, when she had Gym. And although her art teacher was strict, she still enjoyed the class. Even better, she was allowed to sit with her friends in a group, as they had to work on a project together.

"Leave it to Mr. Lee to give us a project on the third day of school…" Jou mumbled under his breath.

"Well, at least it's just a collage and not something really hard. And we even get to work in groups." Yugi commented lightly. Jou only growled in response.

"What are we gonna do the collage on? It's due in three weeks time…" Ryou stated. Anzu looked over to him and nodded. What could they do the collage on?...

"Any ideas?" Anzu asked the group while looking around at each of them.

"Umm… we could do a collage on people in this school."

Everyone's heads turned to stare at Jou, who had just offered the idea. He soon shied away from the looks as no one said anything, and only continued to stare. Finally, Yugi spoke up.

"That's perfect! We could bring camera's to school and take pictures and then gather the best ones and finish the project." He added onto Jou's thoughts. Everyone was taken with this idea immediately and the decision was made. Their collage would be about the people in this school.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

_Finally_, Anzu sighed, _School is over for another day…_ She was beyond happy; though, she would never show it. All day she had only wished for school to hurry up and be over. Now, her wish was granted and she could finally go home and look through those books she found…

"Anzu-chan!"

Picking her head up, she stared into the distance. _I know that voice…_ she thought dimly. Turning around, she soon saw it was Ryou, jogging slightly from the school.

"Oi, Ryou-kun." She said calmly and waited for him to catch up to her. He soon did and they walked together happily.

"Anzu-chan, why are you carrying all of your books?" he asked innocently. Luckily, Anzu didn't miss a beat and answered back coolly.

"I have a lot of homework, so instead of breaking my back, I'm carrying it too." She lied quickly. It was then that a pang hit her heart.

_I-… I feel bad for lying to Ryou?_ She thought deeply. Her brow furrowed in concentration. _But, I've lied before, mostly to my parents… why should it bother me now? It shouldn't!… I _know_ it shouldn't… so then why does it?_

She could barely process that very thought, let alone realize that Ryou was now standing in front of her asking what was wrong. She blinked her eyes twice and then once more in surprise of him being so close. She was about to look into his chocolate gaze when _it_ happened again.

His inner aura began to get darker.

He stumbled back and grasped his head; eyes clenched shut tightly in pain. His outer aura suddenly expanded a ten-fold, turning a deep blue. Anzu suddenly found it hard to breathe as the air became thick around her.

"Ryou-kun!" she called; he fell onto the ground, still clutching his head.

"No… I won't… stay back!"

Anzu's breath caught in her throat as she heard him speaking. There was no one around him, except for her. His voice changed… almost deeper, but she could still hear his voice in, through, it.

"Ryou-kun…" she said again, this time reaching out to him with her hand.

"Stay away!" he cried, shying away from her touch even though she was at least two feet away. Immediately, Anzu drew back her arm. His aura continued to vary between dark and light grey; like he was _fighting_ something…

…Or _someone_…

Azure eyes burned with a blue fire as Anzu made her final decision. _"Ryou."_ She whispered fiercely. His eyes snapped open, revealing one chocolate and one crimson eye staring at her. Her hands began to shake as she marched determinedly to the fallen form of Ryou. In a smooth motion she swept down and caught him in her arms. _"Ryou…"_

His form stilled, but he managed to continue to shake in fear and loss of control. Anzu only gripped him harder to stop the constant chills. The air surrounding her choked her slightly, but she was completely surrounded and submerged within Ryou's presence. Even if she could sense the darkness, it was still comforting, because it was still Ryou. _He was still with her._

Finally, he stilled completely and rested his forehead on Anzu's shoulder for a long while. His aura was slowly returning back to normal, but it had taken most of his energy to fight off… whatever that was…

Just as she was about to pull away from the boy, firm arms wrapped around her torso, holding her to her place. She gasped lightly before she too settled comfortably into the embrace. The two held each other like that for a while, neither wanting to let go for fear that everything would shatter in a dazzling display of colors.

And somehow, each knew that it would.

"Anzu-chan! Ryou-nii-san! Daijoubu desu ka?" (Little Anzu! Brother Ryou! Are you okay?) Someone cried out. Both boy and girl heard the shout and footsteps running towards them and pulled away from each other. Anzu gathered the books she dropped earlier as Ryou stood up and looked to see who was coming towards them.

"Amane-chan; hai, daijoubu desu." (Little Amane; yes, I'm fine.) Anzu responded as she looked away from her to Ryou. He looked like he was very tired and nodded weakly to his sister.

"Daijoubu…" he offered weakly, smiling to cover up his exhaustion. Amane didn't believe it for a second, though she didn't say anything against him. Instead, she only stared at Anzu, as if wanting answers without asking the questions.

Anzu looked up at Amane, feeling her stare. Immediately, sapphire was caught by silver for the second time in two days. It felt like wind was whipping around her in a flash, sucking away the air about her. Amane's black hair swirled around her, making her look like an ethereal being. Anzu didn't notice as her necklace she found, only four days ago, began to glow a faded blue.

"What _are_ you…?" Anzu whispered, not really intending to say anything. Amane nearly jumped back in surprise, her eyes back to brown. Her eyes were slightly wide, and she turned to Ryou in a choppy movement, completely unlike her usual grace.

"Come on, let's get home now… Okaa-san might get even more worried." Amane said while turning around. "She sent me to look for you, Ryou-nii-san. You're ten minutes later than usual and you're only halfway home. You'll need to explain to her why you were late." She stated. Ryou sighed in response, knowing full well that he couldn't tell his mother why he was late.

Anzu followed quietly. Her house was next to theirs, so she was allowed to… it wasn't like she felt as thought she needed to stay with Ryou to watch over him, right?

_If I could only figure out when these… attacks are going to happen… I was with him the last two times… or were those the first few times?_ Anzu shook her head angrily, _You're only giving yourself more questions!_ She yelled internally.

The brunette brilliantly decided that she needed to carry Advil in her backpack, in case she ever decided to think about everything ever again. She could feel the migraine coming at her full force and decided that when she got home she'd have to relax a bit.

Then she realized that she couldn't.

She was almost about to slam her head against the sidewalk. The only thing that made her stop was that she knew it would not help with the upcoming migraine. It would also not help with her sanity level at this particular moment.

That _thing_ was still in her room. There was no way of her going in there without first discovering a spell of some sort to cast it away, and that could take a while to find. She prayed with utmost intensity that the books weren't cursed in some way or locked so that only a secret incantation could open them. She really would bang her head against something if that were to happen, namely the book; it might give her the proper chant to say…

Again, Anzu shook her head roughly and then regretted it deeply. That migraine was going to be coming sooner than she first thought at the rate this was going…

She closed her eyes and continued to walk, following the presence of Ryou and Amane. She had figured out a while ago that this took concentration and if she did it correctly she wouldn't run into anything. She couldn't think about anything else, only their presences.

It was usually very calming to focus on Ryou's presence, but now his aura was different. He was still shaken up quite a bit after that attack, she could tell. He was jumpy, and weak from fighting off… whatever that was… His aura was no longer a calm, peaceful one, but rather one that was nearly sparking in edginess.

Looking to his aura only made Anzu wonder even more what was going on, so she switched over to Amane. What she felt there nearly stunned her. She was… protective? Her aura was reaching out towards Ryou, as if to encase him in a shield. And although she was also anxious, she felt as if she needed to keep her older brother safe from harm. Did she know what was going on with him?

But, how could she?

_And now I really wanna know _her_ power as well…_

Anzu sat on a wooden floor with her legs crossed under her and three books strewn around her. The last of the four books was in her hands and she flipped through it mercilessly. The only light in the room came from above her and shone down on her with utmost intensity. Her book-bag was located beside her and was opened, in case she needed to take out anything to cover up the other books.

A knock sounded on the door. Anzu jumped in reply and then hurriedly shut the book and placed random things on top of the other books before her parents could open the door.

"Anzu, honey, maybe you should do your homework in your room instead of the closet… I know you want to be alone, but this is just…" her mother trailed off, opening the door carefully with a look of confusion and worry on her face and in her aura.

"I just need silence. I can hear things from downstairs in my room, but not in this closet." Anzu replied. It wasn't a lie, but it also wasn't the truth… of course, she would never tell her mother the truth… unless she thought she was ready for it; which would probably never happen.

_Oh, yes, mother, I would be in my room, but right now there's something potentially evil in there and I am actually trying to find a way to keep it out of there instead of doing my homework like you think… Yeah, that would be a sight…_ Anzu thought bitterly as her mother nodded down at her.

"Well… ok, then. I just came up to tell you that dinner is almost ready and we'll be expecting you down there…" Anzu mumbled a faint response as her mother shut the door. It was only when she heard the footsteps walking down the stairs did she unveil the books and begin to look at them.

At one time she thought she had found it, but then she realized that wasn't for containing evil, it was for containing food. Of course, the food was supposed to be poisoned or cursed or something, but it really didn't help her at all. Anzu sighed and continued searching the book, determined to find something.

She continued to flip the pages, almost in a trance. Her eyes wearily scanned over the pages before turning to the next ones. She was almost beginning to think that there was nothing she could do besides fight it herself.

Finally, she shouted in frustration and threw the book down in front of her. She leaned back on the wall behind her and glared upwards at nothing. "I blame you for this…" she spoke bitterly, talking to the heavens. She rolled her eyes as she didn't get a response and then looked back to the book again.

She froze as she stared at the page it opened to.

_How to Contain, Trap, Destroy, or over-all get-rid-of Evil_

Why didn't any of these books have a Table of Contents?

In joy she stood up quickly and picked up the book. When she stood to her full height, she got a firm whack on her head from a corner of a box sticking out from a shelf. Wincing, she bent down again and held her head. She glared up at the ceiling again, rubbing her head from the bump. "I guess I deserved that…" she muttered darkly and then stood again, this time more carefully.

She marked the page in the book and then shoved all the books into a nearby corner. With that, she went down to dinner. After she ate she would read the passage and hopefully be able to rid herself of the evil in her room.

- - - - - - - - -

Anzu stood in front of her room wearily. Her parents were downstairs, cleaning up after dinner, so she was alone upstairs for a while. She had already finished her homework so she was going to deal with this evil thing once and for all. She turned to her right, looking at the guardians.

"I'm going to need your help. I need to you distract it while I say the spell. I'll lock the evil in this," she held up a small green paper-lantern, "And then it'll be all over, okay?" she asked, readying herself.

"_Yes, we understand."_ Wingweaver responded. With a quick nod to everyone, Anzu turned the knob of her door and it swung open. Four sets of eyes peered inside and widened slightly at the sight of a dark mist in the center of the room.

Almost immediately, it shifted in its place and launched itself towards the door. The guardians blocked the attack at Anzu and began to fight it relentlessly while the brunette opened the book and placed it before her.

"In the darkness of the night,  
Instead of shadows, place the light.  
Protect me and all within,  
Myself, my friends, and my kin.

"Bind it now, bind it quick,  
To the item that I pick.  
Shadows rise and shadows fall,  
But light shall be the rule of all!

"_Lady Assailant of Flames,  
__Aqua Spirit of Water,  
__Empress Judge of Earth,  
__And the All-Seeing White Tiger;_

"_Come out! Release yourselves and do your bidding,  
__Into the world I call you, to the world of the living!_

_"**Fuh-Rin-Ka-Zan**!"_

Anzu finished quickly just as a blinding light came out of the book and formed into four shapes. The first three were people, and the last was a large animal. All four then flew into the green lantern Anzu set out before.

Suddenly, the evil was drawn back towards the small, now glowing, lantern. It looked as though it tried to fight against it, but in the end it was sucked inside. The three guardians looked slightly tired out, but they still smiled at Anzu as she stood up.

"_You did it."_ Magician of Faith said, a smile on her face. Anzu shook her head softly.

"No, _you _all did it. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have been able to say the spell. Thank you, everyone." She said kindly. The cerulean-eyed girl smiled at the three guardians and bowed deeply as they disappeared. Anzu stood up to her full height and looked around the room.

"Finally, it's mine again…" she whispered. Picking up the small lantern, she wandered around the room, looking for a place to put it. She eventually found a suitable place for it hanging on the wall. It clashed with the room, it being green and most of the room being blue, but it would have to work for now.

She flopped onto her bed and closed her eyes, not even bothering to change. She snuggled into her white blankets, her thoughts wandering to a certain boy before her dreams took her away.

* * *

Well, that's the end of that chapter... She finally got rid of that evil thing in her room(Which DOES hold improtance!) and Ryou had another attack! I'm rather happy right now, because a friend just got back from a long family vacation, so nothing can get me down:D 

I have heard a rumor that it is now against the rules to have reviewer-responses... well, I can't find that written anywhere on but until I am told by a veteran of I will continue to write reviewer-responses along with my chapters.

**To My Wonderful Reviewers:**

**moonscout11:** Thank you, I hope this chapter was just as good!

**SoujirouKaorufanatic:** Thank you, I really appreciate your kind words! Yes, I don't think I've really read one either, but I can say I've written one! Thank you very much!

**Oui, J'ai soif:** Lol, thank you skerd. I'm trying to update as fast as I can!

**Monkeyluv4646: **Lol, not really horror... it's not that bad. But I will have some more romance in later chapters! I'll try to update more often! Thank you!

**Yuugiamethyst:** Yeah, I like Kisara alot! Of course, you can't have a good Yu-Gi-Oh story without the blue eyes and Seto... I just need to get him to work with me... -strangles Seto- darn his cold character... Mokuba will show up later (Hopefully... heh...) Yesh, I love Ryou's character, he's fun to write! So is Amane! She is important, very important! No, I won't have the Yami's in their own bodies- I don't usually like it when that happens... Yes, the millenium artifacts are indeed going to have an important part in this story, and the mist is important as well! Thank you for the review! Yesh, Botan/Kurama is a very sweet pairing. (hopefully I'll be able to update that one soon as well...)

**C.B.A:** Thank you! I tend to write long chapters... Yeah, I'm sick of Anzu-bashers as well! I don't understand why they hate her so much! Thank you, I always like to hear that I keep the characters fairly in their true character, especially in an AU such as this! Lol, yeah, alot of us can compare with their mothers. Parents are very VERY annoying sometimes! lol, thank you!

**Ladieanimefreek:** Oh that's good... I was afraid I'd be beaten! Heh, thank you, here's the next one!

**Reni-Chan:** You can take the pictures, they aren't mine, I just found them on the internet. Yes, it does kind of balance it out, now that I think about it... thank you! It makes me glad to hear that people really do like my story:)

**Shy-Lil-Dreamer:** Heh, yeah, it does have a certian mysteriousness to it, doesn't it? Thank you for the review!

**Can't-Think-Of-A-Good-Name-So-This-Will-Do:** Wow, I like you're screenname! Thank you! I know it's not the best, so it's ok. You could probably write better than me if you put your mind to it! Here's the update! Yes, I'm glad that I'm not the only Non-Anzu-basher:)

PLEASE REVIEW! Thank you! Ja ne!


	5. Fly Away

OMG! I AM SO SORRY! I haven't updated any stories for like, four months! OMG, I AM SO SORRY ALL MY READERS! There's no excuse that I have besides I had lots of school-work... I'm sorry! I hope this makes up for it!

**

* * *

**

'Fly'-Hilary Duff

_"...Can you hear calling?  
Can you feel it in your soul?  
Can you trust this longing...and take control?..."_

**Chapter Five: Fly Away**

Anzu woke up wearily. She had dreamed about Ryou as a princess in distress and she was the prince who had to go save him. Of course there was a dragon that looked a lot like Seto Kaiba and a witch that resembled Kisara a great deal. Then there was that washing machine…

Sighing, she glanced at her clock. It was only five thirteen in the morning. She still had time to sleep more but she knew that she was already fully rested. She rarely ever woke up in the middle of the night, so she usually woke up feeling refreshed.

She climbed out of bed slowly, unsure of what to do. Her mind was still slightly clouded with sleep and she stumbled slightly around her room until she finally woke up completely.

Again, she glanced at the clock. Only a mere four minutes had passed since the last time she checked. She sighed angrily but decided to, instead of pace in her room, take a warm bath.

Anzu let out a deep breath as she settled herself into the warm, steaming bath; grateful for its ability to relieve tension. She lied there for a long while, just relaxing and not thinking about anything in particular. Finally, she allowed her mind to wander.

And she found it being drawn to Ryou.

What was going on with him? What was that… that _darkness_ coming out of his body-changing his aura! And what did Amane know that she didn't?

Anzu closed her eyes tight and submerged herself completely under the water. Her brunette hair floated around her softly as she cleared her mind. She couldn't think about it, he would tell her in due time… or she would ask him… or his sister…

She came up for air and began to think about other things, like the art project she had to work on. She idly wondered where her father put his camera; it was the old-fashioned kind not digital, that she loved using. For some reason, she liked being able to adjust everything perfectly on an old camera, rather than a newer one.

Somehow, she found herself thinking about Ryou again. And for some reason, every time she thought of something else, it always led back to the white-haired boy. She growled at herself and stood from the once-relaxing bath. She needed to be distracted…

And she knew just the way to distract herself too…

Anzu crept softly to her room and took out her CD player quietly. After changing and drying her hair, she stealthily made her way down the stairs and outside to her backyard. She placed the small technology down on the ground and turned it on. She switched through a few songs on her CD until she finally found one she really liked.

And she danced.

--------------

_Any moment, everything can change,  
__Feel the wind on your shoulder,  
__For a minute, all the world can wait,  
__Let go of your yesterday._

Ryou watched from the window of his house as a brunette girl danced to music that surely wasn't Japanese. She was beautiful. The sun was barely rising, making her dance in the new light of day.

She looked somewhat like an angel would, Ryou thought.

_Can you hear it calling?  
__Can you feel it in your soul?  
__Can you trust this longing?  
__And take control._

He could barely hear the music she danced to, but because she picked a location fairly close to his house yet away from hers, he could hear it better than anyone else besides her. It was very pretty music; _but_ he thought _her voice is far more beautiful…_

_Fly-  
__Open up the part of you that wants to hide away  
__You can shine,  
__Forget about the reasons why you can't in life,  
__And start to try, cause it's your time,  
__Time to fly._

He turned away from the beautiful sight and searched through his room for something. He then approached the window again, this time with a pad of paper and a pencil. Once more, he watched her carefully, engraving her movements in his mind's eye. Finally, he began to draw her nearly shimmering form.

_All your worries, leave them somewhere else,  
__Find a dream you can follow,  
__Reach for something, when there's nothing left,  
__And the world's feeling hollow._

He soon found that the longer he drew her, the more he wanted to watch her. She seemed completely oblivious to everything around her, so much that he could probably stand right beside her and she wouldn't notice at all. He forced himself to draw her, at least a light sketch so he could finish it later.

_Can you hear it calling?  
__Can you feel it in your soul?  
__Can you trust this longing?  
__And take control,_

He could almost imagine her in a ballerina gown, complete with a tiara. Except, that instead of a stage, she fell with swift feet on grass and instead of fake lights, the sun was the only thing that could outshine her natural beauty.

_Fly-  
__Open up the part of you that wants to hide away  
__You can shine,  
__Forget about the reasons why you can't in life,  
__And start to try, cause it's your time,  
__Time to fly._

It was weird, how they were friends. When he first went over to her house, he had no intention of ever becoming anything of the sort. He was far too much of a loner, as he had been his entire life. But in that one moment… when she touched his hand… he had realized that there was something different, _special_, to her. He knew that she was not like anyone else.

_And when you're down and feel alone,  
__Just want to run away,  
__Trust yourself and don't give up,  
__You know you better than anyone else,_

And somehow, he had known that they would be friends after that incident.

_Any moment, everything can change,  
__Feel the wind on your shoulder,  
__For a minute, all the world can wait,  
__Let go of yesterday!_

Somehow, he forgot about his drawing, and only watched her, entranced by her graceful movements. His chocolate eyes glowed with the rising sun, just as she did. The brunette continued to dance with the song, unaware of his presence.

_Fly-  
__Open up the part of you that wants to hide away  
__You can shine,  
__Forget about the reasons why you can't in life,  
__And start to try,_

_  
__Fly-  
__Forget about the reasons why you can't in life,  
__And start to try, cause it's your time,  
__Time to fly._

Finally, she began to slow down as the song ended. Ryou continued to stare at her the whole time, deciding that he would finish his artwork later. She spun around slowly and he froze, did she see him? He sighed as she continued the movement, ending in a dramatic pose with her arms out to the sides, her body bent forward.

_In a moment, everything can change._

Suddenly, she broke her pose. She looked around, then, as if searching for something. Quickly, Ryou ducked below his window as she continued to seek out what was looking at her. The pasty-haired boy waited for a while, not moving. Then, he peeked up through his window to find that she had given up her search and was heading back inside her house. Ryou sighed softly as he stood up fully and glanced down at his drawing.

He would defiantly work on this more…

-------

Anzu could not shake the feeling that someone had been watching her as she danced. Of course, she had only felt it after she was done, but she was fairly sure they had probably watched the entire time. But who could it be? _It was probably only one of the guardians_, she told herself lightly, _no need to get all worked up over nothing_.

She sighed to herself as she got ready for school. She put back her CD player carefully and changed into different clothes. She continued to wear the necklace she found when she first moved in, as she somehow felt it was important. Anzu gathered up all her stuff, including the books she found, and stuffed as much as she could in her backpack. She would return the books today, and hopefully no one would notice they were ever missing.

Unfortunately, destiny had decided that she wouldn't make her life easy. At all.

-------

Nearly fifteen minutes into first period there was a knock that interrupted the class. All the students pulled away from the notes they were scribbling down and stared at the door, waiting for the person to come in.

Anzu watched as the door opened and revealed a tall, silver-haired man. His hair was long, past his shoulders, and it also covered his left eye. She looked around the classroom carefully and saw as the teacher nodded to the man. The brunette stared at him warily. A lot of the people here were able to do… different things… and something about this guy told Anzu that he was **very** different. So she decided to look closer; into his aura.

And suddenly, just as she tried to look, she was roughly shoved out of her seat by some invisible force.

Glaring, she stood up carefully, her cerulean eyes darted straight towards the silver-haired man, who had his one eye on her. She continued to glare at him even as she sat, completely undaunted by his returned amused stare.

"Ok, class, now that we're all situated," Anzu was given another pointed look, this time by the teacher, "I would like to introduce you to your vice-principal, Pegasus Maxamillion." The teacher stated. _Maxamillion Pegasus… _Anzu memorized. She wouldn't forget his name, the only person in this school who didn't have an aura she could see… something had cut her off. _And he knew it too._

"Good morning, class, I do hope that everyone is okay." As he ended his sentence, his brown eye stared straight at Anzu, who held his stare evenly. He smirked lightly at her and continued to look around the room. "I just wanted to introduce myself, seeing as though we have a few new students this year; I wish you all luck."

"Furthermore, if anyone is interested in the play, there is a sign-up sheet for auditions located at the end of the hallway. Please sign that with your name and the character that you would like to play. The character you choose might not be the one you get, however; they may choose to assign you to a different part where you'll be needed." Again, he looked at Anzu. "I do hope you enjoy the rest of your day, everyone! Good-bye." He said and then left the classroom, his head held high.

"Daijoubu desu ka, Anzu-chan?" (Are you ok, little Anzu?) She heard a whisper from her right. She looked over and saw Yugi staring at her with concern. His deep amethyst eyes nearly penetrated her soul.

"Hai, daijoubu." She said firmly with a nod. She stared hard at the place where that man last stood. He was someone not to be trifled with, she could tell. She couldn't see his aura… _something_ wouldn't let her. But Anzu was determined, and she vowed to herself that she _would_ see it before the year ended.

-------

Lunch was interesting that day… to say the least.

Shizuka had invited Kisara over to sit with them, who ended up bringing Seto Kaiba with her. Of course, Jou hated Kaiba with a passion, so insults and death-threats were common. Jou and Kaiba ended up glaring at each other nearly the entire lunch break and then some. Kisara only sighed and dismissed her boss' behavior.

"Thank you for letting us sit with you." Kisara spoke kindly. Shizuka smiled back at her.

"Of course, feel free to sit with us as often as you like."

"WHAT!" she heard from her brother, who had turned away from glaring at his rival for a second to stare accusingly at his sister. If Kisara sat with them everyday, that meant that so would Kaiba. He wouldn't take that sitting down either- he'd put up a fight.

"Yes, Jou-nii-kun, they can." Shizuka said, a fire burning brightly in her honey colored eyes. Jou immediately backed off and settled in his seat again, Kaiba smirking from across the table.

"The little pup is afraid of his sister?" Kaiba jeered.

"Seto, don't make fun of Jou-kun." Kisara whipped around to him, not speaking any honorifics. Her eyes narrowed sharply, daring him to disagree. He looked away, almost pouting as Kisara continued on.

"Thank you, Shizuka-chan, I appreciate it." She said with a smile, completely opposite of how she just acted. Anzu nearly laughed at their antics, and Ryou smiled gently beside her. Yes, lunch was very interesting…

-------

Anzu looked around carefully; she clutched the books in her hands tighter. She needed to get these back to that place before anyone noticed they were gone. She stealthily walked towards the secluded hallway making sure no one was watching her. She breathed a sigh of relief as she made it there safely. Now to put the books back…

Carefully, she opened the door in front of her. Peering inside the dark room slowly, she made her way in. In a hurry, she placed the first book back in its original spot-there was still a spot there, just waiting to be filled; then the second and the third and the fourth were finally back in their places in less than two minutes.

Anzu turned with a sigh; all the books were back, and no one had noticed they were missing. Just as she was about to start walking towards the door, a body appeared in front of hers and a hand slammed next to her face. She jumped in response, and lashed out automatically with her right arm, but found that something had blocked the hit.

"Hello, again…" a voice whispered. "You're Anzu, right?" it spoke again. With a shock, Anzu realized who it was talking to her. _Maxamillion Pegasus…_ her thoughts hissed brutally.

"Don't be so informal…" she whispered harshly, indicating how he said her first name with no honorifics.

"But, my dear, you're the only one being informal. You see, you are in my bookstore right now, and I did not invite you here. If anyone is so informal, it's you." He told her and her eyes widened. This was all _his_!

"Yes, girl, this is all mine; all these books-including the four you took- are my own." He stated, gesturing with his hands around the room, although she could barely see it in the darkness anyway. She hadn't even realized she spoke her thoughts out-loud, but she was quite sure she didn't…

"No, you didn't speak at all; I read your mind. It's a neat little trick I can do; do you like it?" he asked, a wicked smile growing on his face. Anzu could barely breathe, let alone think of anything witty to say. He stepped away from her, still smirking. "If you ever have a problem, feel free to let me know-I might allow you to get a few books…" he said, Anzu could only stare back at him in slight wonder.

"You are free to leave, now…" he told her, staring. She stumbled out of the room, not thinking at all. There was a telepath at her school… and it was her vice-principal…

What _else_ would go wrong…?

---------

Apparently, a lot.

Anzu was nearly about to slam her head against the wooden table in front of her as her day slowly got worse. After the library incident, she had met up with Mai, who had again foretold some great danger. Then, she was late to class so she had to write a paper on 'what happens when I make people wait for me'. After that she ended up being late to her next class because she had to stop at her locker, so she got a detention for that. And just guess who was in charge of detention; just guess… Started with a Maxamillion, ended with a Pegasus…

Now she was in her final period of the day-chorus. She loved singing, but not in front of many people. And worst of all, her 'favorite person' had just walked into the room. She stared back at him, eyes narrowed. His silver hair still covered his left eye completely. And vaguely she wondered what he was hiding besides his aura…

She turned around in a huff and stared ahead of her. The teacher was only going on and on about the upcoming auditions for the school play. Next week… Wednesday… singing three songs… memorize a poem… sign-up sheet on the table…

Then, she felt something pushing at the edges of her mind and, with a shock, realized it was Pegasus. She inhaled deeply and then, with all of her psychic strength, shoved him out roughly. She imagined little shields surrounding her head-like a helmet, but thicker. He wasn't going to attempt again.

Numbly, Anzu walked over to the table and looked it over slowly. Orihime was the main female part and Hikoboshi was the main male part. There were a few other smaller parts as well-the King, other Weavers, other cow-herders, other princesses… There weren't any medium parts in the play-it was either big or small. Quickly, Anzu wrote down her name under Orihime and left, sitting down again.

Ryou soon joined her, sitting in the seat beside hers. "What part are you going to try out for?" he asked softly, as if not wanting to be heard.

"Orihime; you said I should try out for a big part."

"I never said that…"

"But you wanted to…" Anzu smiled lightly at him and he smiled back, "What part do you want?" she asked. The brunette didn't see as he began to blush. He smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of his head nervously.

"Ano… I'm trying for… Hikoboshi…" he stated quietly, the blush still very apparent. Anzu smiled at him; she knew that he was shy, but he was doing this for her.

"Thank you, Ryou-kun…" she said quietly. He paused for a moment, and stared at her. Then he smiled gently and nodded in understanding.

"You're very welcome, Anzu-chan."

She placed her hand over his and squeezed it lightly. Turning it slightly, he held her hand in his own and squeezed back. In that silence, they made a promise to each other and to themselves. They would always stay together, no matter what…

Wouldn't they?

* * *

Well, we aren't allowed to leave responses anymore, but we can send responses via e-mail to reviewers who have accounts... oh well...

Again, I'm soooo very sorry that I didn't update sooner-hopefully I'll be able to get another chapter out really really soon...

**_Merry Christmas! Happy New Year!_** I don't mean to upset anyone by saying Merry Christmas, but since I am a Christian-I will say it without guilt. I'm sorry if I upset anyone reading this story; but, to put it frankly, I think that Christ should be in everything and I think that not saying Merry Christmas around this time of year is bogus. America was built on Christianity, and to now deny that faith is stupid. I will now stop my incessant ranting...

Ja ne!


	6. Just Breathe

**Mockingbird:**

**Chapter Six: Just Breathe**

_'Breathe' _by Anna Nalick

_"But, my God, it's so beautiful when the boy smiles,  
Wanna hold him. Maybe I'll just sing about it."_

Anzu woke up, slightly tired, but nothing she couldn't live with. Her alarm sang loudly, warning her to get up, until she turned it off quickly. With a heavy sigh, she stood from her bed and began to get dressed. She was meeting Ryou in a half hour to go to school.

A week had passed since she had signed up for the play –auditions were today. Throughout the last week, she had faithfully avoided her vice-principal, received another warning from Mai (who had then refused to sit with them at lunch), and been invited for a 'girl's night out' with Kisara and Shizuka for the coming weekend. She had yet to give a response to the latter.

She had not run into any more evil darkness threatening her, nor had Ryou suffered through another 'attack' of his. It was, actually, a fairly 'normal' week.

Anzu went downstairs for breakfast with her parents, who were softly sipping coffee. She grabbed a pop tart and began walking out the door, until pictures caught her eye. Stopping, she began to look through them and froze when she found multiple pictures of her, asleep, on the couch, with Ryou.

"Those were from the first day we moved." Her mother said brightly, noticing she was looking at the pictures. "Do you think they turned out well?"

Anzu could merely blush and take all the pictures of herself and Ryou and stuff them in her backpack, away from her mother. With a small glare in her mother's direction (to which she only smiled and laughed) Anzu left the kitchen and went outside to meet up with Ryou.

* * *

The loudspeaker boomed to life, "Auditions for this year's musical will be held during the final period of the day in the chorus room."

"Are you ready for auditions, Anzu-chan?" Ryou asked her innocently. It was lunch, and everyone else was distracted. Currently, the remainders of the table were all trying to break up a glaring contest between Seto and Jou. It was rather amusing to watch.

"I think I am." She answered, "What about you?"

"I'm very nervous." He answered truthfully.

"You'll do well. I know you will." She encouraged him softly with a smile; he returned it gratefully. And then she saw Mai walk across the room, flash her a look, and then walk out the door.

"I'll be right back." Anzu said, though, only Ryou heard her. The others were still trying to ease the tension between Jou and Seto.

Determination filled every step as Anzu followed Mai out of the lunchroom. She was either going to get answers, or she would be ignorant to what Mai said. It was all up to the blonde now.

"Mai-chan!" Anzu called down the hallway. The purple-eyed beauty turned towards Anzu, and walked back towards her.

"What do you want, Anzu-chan?"

"Either you tell me what you're warning me about –why you're warning me, or you give me a solution to the problem you've presented me with." Anzu told her harshly. Mai was slightly taken back, but then sighed and looked away.

"Look, Anzu…" Mai started, dropping the honorifics, "I don't have a solution besides stop being friends with those people –especially Ryou…"

"That is not an acceptable solution, Mai. What is going on with you?"

"I…" she sighed heavily, "Fine, I'll tell you the truth, since that's what you really want!" Mai stared Anzu right in the eyes, "I can See people's fears, okay!? I can see them displayed above or around the people. All those people in there," she pointed to the lunchroom, "I can see what they are most afraid of."

"Ryou, however, is a completely different case. I can still see his fear; but it's not _normal_, Anzu. He's afraid of himself. It's not spiders, or flying, or death –it's himself that he's most afraid of. There is an impending doom over that group of people, Anzu; and I just didn't want someone else to be hurt when everything falls apart."

And she walked away, leaving Anzu speechless.

The brunette could only watch as the other girl walked down the hallway, hands clenched to fists at her sides. Sure, she had wanted answers, but now she wasn't sure she was really ready for the answers she got.

For a few moments, she stood there, stunned, until she was knocked out of her reverie by sensing another presence.

"My, my, my… that was quite the confession…" he stepped out of the shadows to her right.

"Pegasus…" she hissed, eyes narrowing.

"Now, now, girl; don't be so hasty to anger. It's not like you to show emotions, is it?" he questioned. She started, and then glared at him again.

"Get out of my head." She told him firmly. Her aura must've been red from how angry she was. How dare he go and play off everything like a game.

"And here I thought we had become such close friends… I mean; I did let you borrow my books…" his eye flashed up to her, and she glared at him again for bringing that up.

"Friends don't bring up the past." She told him, and he sighed.

"Either way, it doesn't matter," he brushed it off quickly, "What are we going to do about that Mai, hmm?" He turned to look at her reaction. "Making such a declaration in such a public place… anyone can hear it… Perhaps this should spread around school as a punishment…" he offered. Anzu's eyes widened, brows furrowed.

"Don't you dare, Pegasus!" she said loudly, "She trusted me enough with that secret –if you spread it around the school; she'll think it was me!"

"Exactly!"

"If you do that, I'll tell everyone about your library." She threatened.

"Aah; but you can't do that, girlie. You see, my library can only be found by those who need it for knowledge or help. You can't just go back to it for no reason. You won't be able to find it again." He told her, a smirk on his face. Anzu stuttered for a response.

"You can't threaten me, girl; you have nothing over me." He told her. With a start, she realized he was telling the truth.

"Don't you dare tell anyone, or else I will make this school year very hard for you."

"That's hardly a threat, but since you're so desperate, I'll make you a deal… my lips are sealed, but only if you do exactly as I say…"

* * *

Anzu bristled as she walked down the hallway. She nearly hit the vice-principal, and she was regretting the fact that she had more self-control than that.

"I want you to be my slave and follow me around everywhere I go and say 'yes, master.'"

Her only response was a sharp glare and tightening of her fists. He laughed then, and said he was only joking.

"_Really, Anzu, you're so much fun to play with…"_ he had told her while still laughing. _"Now, this is what I really want you to do. I want you to get as close as you can to that Yugi-boy and friends, and then tell me all about it. I want you to find out everything there is to know about that little group, and report it back to me. Perhaps I'll even teach you some magic, or let you use my books, as another reward…"_

She sighed angrily, what did he want with Yugi and the others? But, what could she do about it? He was blackmailing her so that he would get his way, and it was working. It's not like she could hide anything; he could read her mind.

Carefully, she hid her emotions as she went into the waiting room for the auditions. She didn't want to ruin her performance by getting in a huff about Pegasus…

She sat next to Ryou, who was fidgeting nervously. "You'll do fine." She told him quietly. He nodded, not looking at her. She took his hand in her own, "You will do fine," she repeated. This time, he looked at her and smiled lightly.

"Thank you." He said softly. His eyes softened as he did so, and Anzu found it hard to look away. She smiled as well, forced herself to look ahead, and they waited their turns, still holding hands.

* * *

"How do you think you did?" Ryou asked Anzu after her audition.

"I did okay…" she mumbled, "Probably could've done better if…" she trailed off, "Never mind." Ryou blinked, but let it slide. "How did you do?" she asked him quickly, wanting to change the subject.

"I think I did really well. They were all very nice to me, especially our vice-principal." Ryou smiled brightly, Anzu grimaced. Pegasus had been one of the judges for the auditions, along with the chorus teacher and her assistant. He had completely thrown her off with his stupid smirk and eye-gleam…

"Do you know when they're putting up the cast list?" she asked.

"In a week or so, they'll post it up on the school's bulletin board."

She nodded, and they walked in silence. Soon enough, they met up with Yugi.

"Hey, Anzu-chan, Ryou-kun!" he called and waved happily. Anzu froze, remembering Pegasus's blackmail. She waved back weakly.

"Anzu-chan," he turned to her as he came to them, "I was talking to my grandpa, and I told him that I was friends with a new student in school, and he told me that it was rude that I never invited you over to meet him, so now, I'll ask, do you wanna come over to my house tonight to meet my grandpa?" all this was said in one breath, and Anzu was momentarily speechless. "Ryou-kun, you can come too. Grandpa likes playing chess with you."

"But, he always beats me." Ryou said, looking confused.

"Yeah, exactly." Yugi blinked.

"Well, I'm sorry, Yugi-kun, but I have to be at home tonight. My father is leaving tomorrow morning, and we're saying good-bye to him tonight." Ryou explained.

"Oh; where's he going to this time?"

"Back to Egypt; there seems to be a very big archeological dig there that needs him to identify things."

"Well, tell him I say 'good-bye' and to be safe!"

"I will."

"What about you, Anzu-chan?" Yugi asked, turning back to the brunette.

"Well, I'll have to ask, but I think it'll be okay."

"Great! Grandpa will be thrilled!" Yugi beamed brightly, "Thanks!" he shouted, while running off again with a wave.

"Is he always that… happy?" Anzu asked, looking back to the yellow-filled aura of her spiky-haired friend.

"Yes," Ryou answered, a small smile lighting his face, "He's always been that way." Anzu nodded, thinking of her visit later that night.

* * *

A knock sounded on the game shop door. "That's her!" Yugi said happily, running down the stairs. "Grandpa, be nice!"

"Of course. When am I not?" the old man from behind the counter said with a grin. His grandson glared at him slightly, another warning of impending doom if he was mean to their guest, before opening the door to a flushed brunette.

"Anzu-chan, you made it!" Yugi exclaimed happily, ushering her inside. He took her coat and scarf from her, placing it in the closet near the door.

"My dear girl, did you walk all the way here?" the gray-haired man asked. Anzu nodded, still flushed from the cold. "It's the middle of winter, though!" with a silencing glare from Yugi, his grandpa stopped there.

"My parents were at a business meeting, I didn't want to interrupt them." She said lightly. Both Yugi and his grandpa nodded in understanding.

"Oh, Grandpa, this is my friend, Mazaki Anzu. Anzu-chan, this is my grandpa, Mutou Sugoroku." Yugi introduced them politely.

"It's nice to meet you, Mutou-san."

"I've heard a lot about you, Mazaki-san."

"_Grandpa_…" the warning came.

"I hope it's all been good."

"Of course, of course…" now there was a gleam in Sugoroku's eye, "Staying true to tradition, how about a game of cards?"

"I thought you liked chess."

"That's when I get to know you better. For now, cards?"

Yugi sighed at his grandpa's antics. Anzu agreed, and all three sat down to a game of cards. They decided on playing 'Go Fish' –one of the easiest card games in the world. They played three rounds, Sugoroku winning two times, and Yugi winning the other one. Anzu accepted defeat gracefully and with a smile.

"It's okay, Anzu-chan; grandpa and I are the best gamers in Domino. It's kinda like a family trait, I guess. I'm still learning everything, though." Yugi said to encourage her. "Grandpa's a master at games!" he told her proudly.

"Well, heh, I wouldn't say 'master'…" his grandpa smiled, a small blush of pride on his cheeks, "I am pretty good, though, aren't I?" a cheeky smile lit his face. Anzu and Yugi laughed. And the night went on happily.

Soon it was time for Anzu to leave, "Maybe next time, we'll play some chess. Yugi can be on your team for the first round!" Sugoroku told her happily.

"I look forward to it!" she called back, stepping out of the game shop. "Thank you! Good-bye!" And as she turned to look back on the two family members who were waving, she suddenly caught a glimpse of purple standing beside Yugi. She looked again, and gasped.

"Mahaado?!" his purple-clad arm was on Yugi's shoulder, but even Yugi looked different –taller, darker. Still surprised, she stepped back harshly and ran into someone else on the sidewalk.

"Watch where you're going." A cold voice told her. She looked up from her spot on the ground and saw Seto Kaiba standing before her.

"I'm sorry…" she said, still in shock. He stalked off quietly, leaving her alone. Yugi rushed out of his shop, worry on his face.

"Daijoubu desu ka, Anzu-chan?" he asked. "I saw that you fell and I wanted to see that you weren't hurt."

"Hai, daijoubu, Yugi-kun…" she looked at him again, and all around him. No difference in his face and no Mahaado in sight. "I was just caught off-balance. See, no injuries." She held up her hands, as if showing proof that she wasn't hurt. Yugi sighed with relief, and helped to pull her up on her feet.

"Are you sure you'll be alright? Do you want me to walk you home?"

"No, Yugi-kun; I'm fine. I don't want you out too late on a school night; and, I don't want you to have to walk back alone." She told him seriously. "I'll be fine, Yugi-kun. If you want, I'll call you when I get home so that you'll know I made it back safely."

"Okay!" and they agreed, finally saying their real good-byes. Anzu left, still feeling confused. Why had she seen Mahaado standing beside Yugi? And why hadn't Yugi looked like himself?

She wrapped her coat around her tighter, and made her way home through the cold.

* * *

And, thus, ends another chapter of Mockingbird... The plot thickens!!! Muwahahahahahahahaha!!!!

Anywho; just wanted to say I am sooooo sorry for taking so long. I know it's been over a year since I updated, and I wanted to say thank you to all my readers. You guys mean so much to me!! HUGS FOR EVERYONE!! lol

Please, read and review!!!

Jess-chan


	7. Movie Surprise

**Mockingbird:  
Chapter Seven: Movie Surprise**

"Come on, Anzu-chan!" The brown-haired girl laughed cheerily as she rushed ahead of their group. Hundreds of people filtered around them, dodging the small group of four girls.

"This would look so cute on you!" the same girl exclaimed, pointing out a blue shirt with a v-neck cut. The other two girls nodded, and before even realizing what happened –Anzu was pushed into a dressing room with that shirt and a pair of jeans as well.

Sighing, she changed quickly, only to find that the jeans were hip-huggers. Repressing a growl, she stepped out of the dressing room clad in her new outfit.

"Anzu-chan, you look wonderful!" Kisara exclaimed happily.

"I knew those jeans would be good on you." Shizuka beamed happily, and Anzu nearly glared at her. So, _she _was the reason for the jeans…

"Now, now, Anzu-chan; don't be so put-out," Amane chimed in, "You really do look good. That shirt brings out your eyes." She was dressed in a new outfit as well; a knee-length skirt and a red shirt to go with it. Immediately, the other two girls gawked at her while Anzu ducked back into her dressing room.

Maybe she would buy the shirt… the pants, though, were a different story.

They were out on a shopping trip. "Girls _only_!" they had told the boys the day before at lunch. None of the boys seemed to care, and merely went back to eating. Amane had been invited as well, with some prodding by Anzu. Now, all four girls were at the nearby mall, and had been there for nearly five hours.

They were planning to go eat after this store, and then go and see a movie before leaving for home. They still weren't sure which movie, but they'd reach a decision together when they got there.

They went to eat at a small café located in the mall. Anzu had bought the blue shirt, and Shizuka had bought pants that looked suspiciously like the ones Anzu had tried on with the shirt. Other than that, there was a multitude of new clothes for most of the girls; and even a few new books as well by (mostly) Anzu and the other girls as well.

Anzu had to admit that, even though they had made her try on the most ridiculous things (like a prom dress with ruffles from head to toe), she was having fun with these girls. When she was here, being shoved into dressing rooms and pulled all around the mall, she didn't have time to worry about all the confusion in her real life. She enjoyed that small freedom.

Now that she thought about it, though…

What was she going to do about Pegasus and his blackmail?

What about Ryou and his attacks?

And Yugi with Mahaado a few nights before –what could she make of that?

Sighing, her eyes flashed to Kisara and into her aura. Now, a closer problem –what to make of that dragon in the girl's spirit?

There was no doubting it was there, at least, to Anzu (because she could actually See it.) She doubted that Kisara even knew about her guardian –it looked to be asleep anyway. The eyes were closed, and the silvery head rested lightly on the girl's right shoulder. Its wings seemed to drape around her, as if in protection, and the tail was wrapped lightly around her left leg.

"What's wrong, Anzu-chan? You've been staring at me for a few minutes now." The blue-haired girl said lightly.

"I was just wondering…" she paused, "what movie are we going to see?"

That launched the table into full-discussion mode. Amane wanted a comedy, Shizuka wanted romance, Kisara didn't care, and Anzu barely even wanted to go see a movie at all.

"How about, instead of going to see a movie, we just rent one and watch it at someone's house?" Amane offered. Everyone agreed as they got up from the café to go back home.

"There's a movie rental place really close to my house." Kisara told them as they stepped onto the bus to return them to Domino. (They were about thirty miles away from there, and none of them had a car to use.)

"Okay, we'll go there, then. Is there a grocery store too?" Shizuka asked.

"Why do we need a grocery store?"

"To stock up on goodies, of course!" she exclaimed, "It's what Jou-nii-san and I do all the time!" a smile lit her face as she got caught up in the memories, and her aura turned a beautiful shade of yellow.

"We can just get off the bus a little early for the grocery store. We'll just walk back to my place." Kisara told them.

It had started raining as they arrived at Kisara's house. They had gotten a handful of candy, and some strawberry and chocolate pocky, and a whole mountain of other assorted sweets along with chips and salsa.

The first drops of rain came when they were a few blocks away from Kisara's house. Quickly, the blue-haired girl pointed out her house, and the four friends ran for it. The thunder came soon after, and even more rain came with it.

"The key!" Shizuka shouted as they reached the door, but found it was locked. The girls jumped around a little bit, as if trying to avoid the raindrops, as Kisara unlocked and opened the door.

The four rushed inside, laughing and stumbling along. They calmed down quickly, and placed the food on the small table by the couch, and all their other shopping bags in a corner of the room.

The jobs were split between the four girls. Anzu was sent to put the movie in (they had gotten an English film with Japanese subtitles, called "Ten Things I Hate About You"); Amane had to start making the popcorn; Shizuka was to arrange all the other snacks so that they were easily reached when watching the movie; and Kisara ran upstairs to get pillows and blankets to rest on.

In less than five minutes, everyone gathered back into the living room excitedly. The blankets were thrown onto the ground in front of the television, and the pillows were arranged on top of them. The four girls rested on top of them as the movie started, and in amiable silence, watched the film.

The snacks were halfway gone and the movie nearly finished when a knock sounded on the door. Four pairs of eyes shot to the door, and then looked to each other. Finally, Kisara stood up and walked to the wooden passageway.

The three other girls watched as she opened the door, the movie forgotten for the time being.

"Seto-kun?" Kisara gasped, "What are you doing –get inside!" She pulled the dark body inside and out of the rain. The lights came on, and revealed a soaked Seto Kaiba. The two began talking apart from the other girls, and the movie was paused.

"What do you think they're talking about?" Shizuka whispered.

"I don't know… Kaiba-kun looks a little… out of sync with his usual self…" Anzu noticed. They all agreed. He was completely soaked from the rain, and his hair seemed to be quite windblown. His movements were harsh, and his face lined with worry.

"Do you think something happened to –AH!" Shizuka jumped a little bit as her cell phone went off in the pocket of her jeans. She answered it quickly, and soon after, her eyes widened.

"Okay; we're coming!" she answered, and then shut the phone off. "Yugi's grandfather just collapsed –they're at the hospital right now with my brother." She said as she got up from the couch. Kisara and Seto were right behind her.

"Yugi's grandfather too?" They all turned to look at Kisara, who looked more than a little alarmed. "Seto-kun just told me that Mokuba collapsed for no reason."

"What?" Shizuka exclaimed, breathless. Anzu was shocked as well; but Amane seemed to be eerily calm. Anzu noted her expression; it was almost like she was expecting this…

"We'll all ride to the hospital with Seto-kun." Kisara told them, "but I want you guys to go check up on Yugi-kun and his grandfather."

They nodded in reply; and rushed out of the house. Instead of a limo, like most of them had been expecting; there was, instead, a car –_Maybach 62_ was etched into the back of it. It was a nice car; if anyone would have it, it would be Seto Kaiba.

They all climbed in; Seto and Kisara in the front, and the remaining three in the back seats. The brown haired man revved the engine to life, and took off towards the hospital where his little brother lay unconscious.

* * *

Wow... one month less than a year since I updated... I'm so sorry. I'll try to be better at this; really.

Happy 'National Grab-An-Ass' day everyone!!!


	8. Emergency

**Mockingbird  
Chapter Eight: Emergency**

_"I think we have an emergency...  
I think we have an emergency..."  
_Paramore -Emergency

* * *

They made it to the hospital in what must've been record time. Kaiba was a maniac when he was in a hurry, Anzu mentally noted as she stumbled from the car. They all rushed inside, Kaiba in the lead.

"Where is my brother?!" he demanded the front desk. The woman was immediately flustered.

"Kaiba-san, I… uhhh… the doctors haven't…"

"Where. Is. He." The tone was deadly, and his eyes were cold. Kisara placed her hand on his shoulder, silently urging him to calm down.

"Room t-two eleven," she stuttered out, looking terrified. Without hesitation, both Kisara and Seto ran down the hallway to find the correct room. As soon as they left, Shizuka stepped forward.

"Mutou Sugoroku?" she asked the woman, who was still flustered from her previous encounter with Seto.

"I'm sorry, we can't give out room numbers to non-family –" she was cut off.

"Hey; guys, down here!" Jou called, coming down from a nearby hallway. They all rushed towards him, and he led them towards the correct room.

Anzu entered the room and felt a weight pressing on her chest. She understood why immediately. Yugi was sitting on a chair beside his grandfather's bed, weeping as though his relative was already gone. His aura had completely covered the room in his grief, and it made breathing difficult for Anzu. She looked to Sugoroku and found she couldn't breathe.

He had no aura.

Meaning that he had no soul.

Then how was he still alive?!

"Thanks for coming by guys," Yugi sniffed, "but there's nothing we can do. The doctors don't know what's wrong with him yet…" he trailed off as Jou placed his hand on his friend's arm.

"What happened?" Shizuka asked. Amane and Anzu were silent.

"We came home from the arcade when we saw gramps already lying on the floor. We called an ambulance immediately, and here we are." Jou explained. "No one has any idea what happened."

"Jou-kun, Shizuka-chan, let's go see if we can find a doctor. Maybe they thought of something to help him." Amane suddenly spoke up. "Anzu-chan, could you stay here and watch over Yugi-kun?"

Anzu nodded silently and the others stiffly walked out of the room, following Amane. The blue eyed girl looked to Yugi, who had his face buried in his arms on his grandpa's bed. His grief was nearly overwhelming her. She turned away from him.

Yugi-kun… I'm really sorry about what happened to your grandfather…" she started, unsure of what to say. She turned back to face him, "And I…" her words died in her throat.

Standing before her was not Yugi at all, though he looked similar. He was taller and somehow darker than the Yugi she knew. He stared at her with sharp eyes that were commanding and seemed to be ages old. He stood with confidence, almost demanding respect.

He stepped towards her. She stepped back.

His aura was Yugi's aura introverted –this man's aura was dark purple with blue edges. It was frightening –this wasn't supposed to be happening. Who was this person? Where was Yugi?

"Who are you?" the man voiced her thoughts.

"Who are _you_?" Anzu shot back at him, breathless. His eyebrows furrowed, confusion covering his face and aura.

"My name is Atemu."

"Atemu?" the brunette nearly spit out the name, "Where is Yugi?!" she stepped towards him angrily, "What did you do to him?!"

"I know no Yugi," the dark man told her, "Who are you?"

"Where is Yugi?!" she went to grab his shoulder, when a hand knocked hers away harshly. She looked to her right, to see where it had come from, and found herself staring into the ice blue eyes of her former house's guardian.

"Mahaado?" she gasped, stepping backwards and falling to the ground. She blinked, looking up again to make sure she wasn't imagining him. "Mahaado?" she breathed again –he was really there.

The purple-clad guardian didn't speak to her, only stood protectively in front of the intruder –Atemu. It was as though an arrow had been shot through her heart. Mahaado had protected this imposter from her. He chose this man over her…

"How do you know my guardian?" the dark man asked harshly, confusion settling over his features again. She looked up at him, tears welling in her eyes. He knelt down to her eye level, "Why do you cry, Sapphire?" he asked her softly, picking a name for her by her eye color.

She didn't answer, wiping away her tears swiftly. Atemu sighed and stood before her, and offered his hand to help her up. She looked at it warily, unsure if she should take it or not. Finally, she reached up and took his hand in hers.

His eyes widened in surprise before he blinked and innocent eyes opened back up. Anzu looked in shock as Yugi was before her eyes –not Atemu. He blinked at her again before helping her up.

"What were you doing down there, Anzu-chan?" he asked, "Did you trip?"

She stared at him again before shaking her head to clear it, "Hai –the floor was just a little slippery… I'm okay now, thank you."

He dropped her hand, looking back to his grandfather. His outer aura again multiplied in size to accommodate his grief. Anzu found it hard to breathe, and almost wanted Atemu to come back just so she could completely fill her lungs with air.

"No one knows what's wrong with him…" the small boy stated, "He always had so much energy… He was all I had left, you know. My parents died in a plane crash years ago –he's taken care of me ever since." He began crying, "I wish it had been me instead of him. I don't want to be here if he can't be here too." He collapsed in the bedside chair again, crying into the sheets of the hospital bed.

Anzu stepped towards him slowly, but was interrupted by the door opening. The others were back –her time to comfort was gone. Jou came around to the young boy's side immediately and sat with him in another chair. Shizuka also made her way to the two friends. Anzu stepped back with Amane.

The two girls looked at each other, and Anzu gasped softly when she realized that Amane's eyes were silver again. She nodded softly in acknowledgement, before turning and walking out of the room. The brunette was left in the hospital room with a million questions running through her head.

The black haired girl had known what was going to happen. She had purposefully placed Anzu in a position that she would meet Atemu. How had Amane known?

Also, what had really happened to Yugi's grandfather? And what happened to Mokuba?

Anzu stepped out of the room clutching her necklace in thought. She looked down the hallway to see Ryou coming towards her.

"Anzu-chan!" he called her, "Amane-nee-chan just told me what happened."

"Yugi-kun is in there," she told him, motioning back to the room. "He's not holding up well." She was bursting to talk to Amane, but the girl was no where to be seen. Ryou thanked her, and then went into the room.

Anzu found her way to room 211 –Mokuba's room. Seto Kaiba sat next to his brother, clasping the small hand in his own. Kisara stood behind the elder brother, a comforting hand on his shoulder. For some reason, Anzu wasn't very surprised to see that Mokuba also had no aura –no soul.

Whatever –or whoever –was doing this, was the same for both people.

Anzu walked out of the hospital slowly, making her way to the bus stop to head home. There was nothing that she could do at the hospital, and she had more than enough to distract her anyway.

When the brunette got home, there was a note for her, lying on her bed.

_Anzu;_

_I suppose you're wondering what exactly happened to the family of your friends. You have taken too long to supply me with the information I want, so I'm holding them captive until I am satisfied._

_I'll see you on Monday._

_M.P._

She could have killed him. The note was crumpled in her fisted hand and she struggled to keep her rage from escaping. _Pegasus…_ her mind spit out in disgust. Of course it had been him –he's the only one with enough knowledge to pull this off, and now he had more leverage over her.

She could do nothing but help him now if she ever wanted the souls of Mokuba and Sugoroku back. She grit her teeth together and took deep breaths. He would not get away with this –she would make sure of it. It would just take a while before justice was served.

Miles away, Pegasus sipped red wine gently, a smirk on his face. He was truly enjoying this game.

* * *

And, thus, another chappie. As you might be able to tell, I am trying to involve the anime storyline in this story -just in new and interesting ways. (And with other stuff added in too)

Sorry that there's not much Ryou/Anzu interaction with this one... More later, I promise. :)

Happy 4th of July and happy Tanabata!!

Jess-chan


	9. Results

I am so very sorry about the wait for this chapter. It's been two years. Holy crap. I'm not dead. I can't promise when the next chapter will be out, but I will try for it to be out in less than two years.

Otherwise **important note**: I am no longer going to be using ANY Japanese. Nothing. Right now, I don't have the patience to go back into the other chapters and change them, but this one is changed, as will all the ones after this. So, no honorifics or anything of the sort.

Soooo... enjoy.

"This is Who we Are" by Cartel

_"Don't fly so high-_  
_ So high, little bird,_  
_ You'll get your wings clipped._  
_ We'll pick it up, pick it up_  
_ Now you've learned"_

Mockingbird:  
Chapter Nine: Results

Anzu marched into school on Monday and went straight to Pegasus' office. Her eyes were filled with hatred and rage, and everyone could do nothing but jump out of the way as she passed. She had a bone to pick with him.

She slammed his office door open, eyes landing on his form sitting at his desk, "Pegasus…" she hissed.

"Aah, Anzu…" he had that disgusting smirk on his face as he stood with his arms wide open, "I was wondering when you would come…"

The brunette marched towards his desk, curling her hand and lashing out at him in a punch to the face. Her fist was a mere three inches from his nose when she suddenly couldn't move. She tried to shift any part of her body, but found she couldn't. She shook from the effort.

"Tsk tsk, Anzu; we wouldn't want you to get expelled, now would we…" he murmured softly. "Really, though; I didn't see that coming at all. It looks like you have more fire in you than I originally imagined." He laughed, completely ignoring the fist that was in his face.

"Why… can't I… move…" Anzu struggled out, her body shaking from her efforts to move it and go against him.

"It's simple, really. I've taken over the part of your mind that controls body movements. It's a little difficult, and quite taxing on my energy, but I don't mind. I think it's really more fun for me." He smirked as he sat in his seat, "So why don't you sit and we'll have a nice chat together, hm?"

Anzu suddenly found herself sitting in a chair opposite him, hands folded on her lap and ankles crossed. She glared at him hard and he only laughed in response.

"Really, Anzu, did you think it would be so easy? That I would just give up because you threw a punch at me?" he questioned, "Until you provide me with information, your friends will continue to suffer." He stared at her with one eye, "Would you care to start now?"

She slumped in the chair, defeated. His smirk grew wider. "Yugi has two colors in his aura and I don't know why. Shizuka has an orb in her aura, I also don't know why. Mai has an orb too, but that's smaller and it moves," she ticked off the people in her head, "Kisara has a dragon in hers."

"A dragon?"

"It's asleep," she said pointedly. "There's been a form of Darkness chasing me in my house, so I needed to find a book on protective charms. Is there anything else?"

He paused, staring at her. She threw up as many mental shields as she could, praying that he would not ask her about Amane and Ryou. They were different. She didn't want him to know about them, about her suspicions about them. It was too close to home.

"Fine," he waved his hand through the air, "but I know who you're hiding and you will tell me about Ryou and Amane eventually." He commented. She stiffened.

"Release Yugi's grandfather and Kaiba's brother."

The silver-haired man stared at her, "Little girl, you are in no position to make demands. I will release them when you have done enough for me. Until then, have fun trying to save your friends while simultaneously betraying them." He smiled and waved, and she suddenly found herself outside of his office, shaking from rage.

How dare he. How _dare_ he!

Even through her anger, her feet marched down the hallway to her locker. Her feet and hands tingled as she slowly regained consciousness of her limbs. She shook, both from rage and shock. She had no idea he could do that, and that made him much more dangerous than she originally thought.

While standing at her locker, she noticed a large crowd of people around the bulletin board at the end of the hallway. As they started to clear out, she heard them talking about the play –the auditions had been a few days ago. She realized that the cast list was up. Slowly, she made her way through the crowd of people until she could see the small typing.

Orihime. She looked across the page only to be disappointed. It was not her name next to the main character, but a girl named Mayu. Anzu knew her from a few classes. She had her hair dyed blonde and a murky green aura… Anzu's eyes continued down the page.

Ryou's name was under Mayu's… That meant that he got Hikoboshi. Ryou was going to be the prince. Anzu's eyes widened in surprise. She continued to look down the page until she saw that she had gotten a part, but it was mostly just a fill-in. She would be a star, mostly; a role that required both vocals and dance. She was okay with that.

When she turned around, she spotted Ryou at the end of the hallway walking towards the crowd of people curiously. She ran to him, smiling.

"You got the part!" she told him. He looked at her questioningly, "They put up the cast list for Tanabata –you are Hikoboshi!"

He smiled at her widely before blinking, "Did you…?"

"I'm one of the stars in the performance. Orihime is going to be played by a girl named Mayu." Anzu told him. His expression softened.

"I'm sorry, Anzu,"

"It's okay. Don't be sorry –be happy. You got the part!" she smiled again and he followed her lead.

"That is very exciting. I wonder when rehearsals start…"

"Go check, it should be on the board." She told him and he wandered toward the bulletin board. She stared at him as he searched for information, wondering what she was going to do when Pegasus pressed her for information about him and his sister. Who else would he injure to satisfy his curiosity?

"Anzu? Are you okay?"

She blinked. Ryou had come back to her without her realizing it. She smiled slightly, "Yes, sorry –I was just caught up in my own head."

He nodded in understanding before looking around. "I don't suppose Yugi is here today?"

She shook her head, "I haven't seen him. He is probably still with his grandfather. Seto is not here today either. Kisara told me he probably wouldn't come back for at least a week."

They walked together down the hallway in silence, both caught up in thoughts. Anzu had no idea what to do about Pegasus –how was she supposed to get the two souls back without giving him more information? How did he steal two souls anyway? She didn't even know that was possible –though, that was almost a constant in her new town.

She sighed, deciding to do what she could until a better plan formed in her mind. For now, she needed to concentrate on saving Yugi's grandfather and Mokuba. The other complications and questions could wait. At least, she hoped they could wait. She didn't know how she would deal if they couldn't.


End file.
